


Amira Moves In

by The3ookNook



Category: Monster Manhunt Tales, Monster Prom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Animal Instincts, Animal Transformation, F/M, Rare Pairings, Werewolves being big dogs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-05-15 09:16:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14787729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The3ookNook/pseuds/The3ookNook
Summary: As paranoia about the supernatural rises, so does violence. Wards against monsters are increasing in the human world. Amira finds herself on the brutal end of an eviction that lands her with a broken arm and a pretty bad infection. Her on again, off again boyfriend Scott invites her to stay with him, but Amira's feelings about the werewolf have always been cautious at best. Amira likes to think she's passionate; her heart runs wild and unrestrained. But her werewolf beau radiates a different kind of passion that makes her more than a little scared. Scott's deep, unadulterated affection for her and everything he sees challenges the shallow extremes she lives her life in. Being with Scott forces her to think about things deeply in a way she usually doesn't like to consider. So as soon as Scott helps her settle in with him, she starts looking for a way out.But her recovery takes longer than she expected, and she's forced to spend more time with Scott outside sex on the full moon. Amira knows she likes Scott, but is it possible she might love him?It would be easier to figure out the answer if Liam wasn’t fucking around with Vicky.





	1. The Full Moon Pact

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Monster Manhunt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14522607) by [The3ookNook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The3ookNook/pseuds/The3ookNook). 



> Hey y'all! If you haven't guessed, this is a spinoff of my other fic: Monster Manhunt. You don't have to read it to understand, but Amira and Scott make a brief appearance there, so if you want more of them you ought to check it out!
> 
> Scott and Amira are one of my favorite pairs, but I'm not surprised to see that there are not any fics on here exploring their possible dynamic. I don't think they're the most obvious dynamic, but that just means I get to explore it here!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira fucks Scott.

Amira let Scott drag her into his room, her nipples straining against her tube dress. As excitement roared through her body, she took in the tenseness of Scott’s frame and giggled. He was half transformed and obviously struggling to concentrate. She could smell his breath from here -- it was pungent with wolfsbane serum, a solution that was supposed to help him stay calm during the full moon. For a werewolf that basically just mean not running around like a giant dog and destroying public property.

 

Maybe he could have a couple of months ago, but not anymore. Amira forced herself to ignore the tide of pity she felt welling up the second she glanced at his odd gait. She knew she wouldn’t want anyone pitying her.

 

Amira looked back up and locked eyes with Scott. He had seen her looking, shit.

 

Scott growled but said nothing. Either he didn’t care, didn’t want to care or was too focused on taking care of the emergency in his pants. Amira giggled, a little tipsy. Hiccuping, she let out a small burst of flame.

 

Scott made a weird sound

 

“What?” Amira leaned forward.

 

“Nothing,” He rasped, grabbing her wrist.

 

Amira squeaked as her feet were lifted off the floor and she was dumped on the bed. Scott stood above her and she laughed again, relaxed. It was easier to look at Scott this way. Even though he had taken the wolfsbane, he wasn’t completely himself. His usually hairy chest was covered with fur, and Amira could just barely make out his arms under all his fluff. The incisors in his mouth were a bit too large to be considered normal, his hair had turned into a mane, and his intense blue eyes had a bit of cloudiness that made them easier to look into. Scott’s usually carefree intensity was always unnerving.

 

Amira gave a little gasp as he pressed his nose into her chest, gently  nudging the space in between her breasts.

 

“Miry,” His tail wagged as he caught the top of her dress in his teeth and tugged it down.

 

Amira grinned as her boobs spilled into his face and groaned as he immediately started nipping at them. Leaning back into her buzz, she flopped onto his numbered sheets. Scott quickly moved over, silently tearing away at her clothes as he frantically scented her. This was so much better than the usual. No thinking. No awkward pauses as she tried to answer his earnest questions. Amira wished he could always be like this.

 

“Pretty mate,” Scott humped her, nudging to turn Amira around onto her knees.

 

Amira tensed and Scott faltered.

 

“Sorry,” His voice cracked, and he stopped.

 

Amira flinched as he pulled back, ears pressed to his head. He stopped trying to turn her over and started pulling at his own sweat-soaked clothes. Despite being let go for weeks, he was still wearing the jersey. Amira stiffened as he took his time with it, praying that what she thought would happen wouldn’t.

 

Scott swallowed hard and put it aside. Amira relaxed and hugged his shoulders as he started to lap at her neck. Almost frantically, he shoved off her tall boots and rubbed her feet tenderly as he locked lips with Amira.

 

It was soft and longing, barely pressing against her lips but lasting for long breaths that made Amire pant. She pressed back harder, trying to change the mood. Her teeth knocked against his as she fought against his gentle ministrations. She wanted to go fast. Amira knew what Scott meant by slow.

 

Scott rumbled deeply. Amira blinked hard, pausing. She’d never heard him sound quite so irritated. Amira pulled away to look him in the eyes and reeled.

 

Amira tried to remember the last time she saw Scott genuinely angry and came up blank. She wasn’t sure he had it in him, or else she would’ve come over more often.

 

“Okay,” He barked, voice clipped, “Okay.”

 

Amira yelped as he suddenly rolled under her, shoving Amira onto his lap. Amira’s hair flared up as she blushed, moaning as Scott dragged her against the tent in his boxers. She struggled to get her bearings as he jerked her back and forth, his hips twitching wildly as a wet spot began to appear in his underwear. Amira’s heartbeat sped up as he glued his eyes to her breasts, watching them bounce up and down as he used her to get off.

 

“Like this?” He grunted.

 

“Yes,” Amira felt her stomach twist as her lips began to swell.

 

“Fine,” He repeated, clenching his jaw shut.

 

Amira bit her lip as he started to put his back into it, heating up as he got closer to firing off. She felt her nipples harden as she worked circles into his chest, being thoughtful enough to trace his bruises. The coil in her belly tightened as Scott’s nostrils flared, his face turning red. He deliberately avoided looking her in the face, his hands tightening around her waist. Amira squeaked as his big fingers dug into her skin, his claws grazing her hips. She could feel the power in his body as he got closer to the edge. His arms tensed and the flame on her head grew.

 

 _Shit, he could pick me up and fuck me in the air._ Amira slid her fingers past her lips.

 

Scott shuddered as her hand brushed against his covered length as she reached down to pinch her clit. She smirked, lowering her eyelids as she felt his erection twitch. Amira slid a hand up her chest and caught one of her bouncing breasts, crying out as she rolled her nipple and bud at the same time.

 

Scott let out a guttural groan, curling his back as he immediately fired off in his boxers. His tail beat against his sheets wildly as the pungent smell of wolf sperm filled the air and he flashed his fangs. Thrill traveled through Amira from where she was teasing herself up through her chest. Cum splattered over his belly as his thick cock spasmed. Amira immediately began to feel him up, moaning as she felt a familiar bump begin to form on his length.

 

“Someone’s starting to knot,” She rolled her fingers around it, then used their thumb to glide upwards and circle his head.

 

Scott bucked, shoving her downwards. Amira trembled in excitement, tugging at his soiled underwear.

 

“We can’t do anything with these Scott, come on. Be my good boy,” Amira rubbed his stomach.

 

Scutt panted for air, his fangs dripping. His jerked a hand away from her hip as his entire body hummed. Amira loved this part about Scott. He was so huge. She felt like she was conquering a giant.

 

Amira thought he was going to rip off his boxers and fuck her into his bed, an idea she had been looking forward to ever since she realized the full moon was getting closer. She sighed as he rolled them over again, looking up at him excitedly. The walls of her pussy throbbed as she started at his soiled chest. She reached out to him, only for Scott to pin her arms at her sides. Amira squirmed in delight, groaning as he trailed his nose down her chest past her belly button.

 

He nudged the collection of curls before her entrance, taking a deep whiff. Turning, he took her thigh in his huge maw and nudged it upwards. A little confused, Amira followed his lead and lifted her legs, placing her foot on his upper back.

 

“Howl?” She asked.

 

Scott’s eyes shone, “Miry.”

 

A weird sense of guilt filled Amira’s chest, but before she could say anything he drove in. Pushing back her folds with his fangs, he dragged his rough tongue over her clit and Amira screamed. Her body jerked, but the weight of Scott’s forehead on her stomach kept her from moving away. Scott ate at her hungrily, thrusting his hips back and forth against the sheets. His tongue curled over her bud, flicking it back and forth wildly in a way he had watched her do with her fingers visit after short visit.

 

Amira thrashed under him, struggling not to curl her back and accidentally set the bed on fire. Scott yanked her towards his tongue, her ass bumping against the bed. Before she could reach down the play with her breasts, his giant hands reached up to grope her. Amira cried out as the strength in his arms held her down, his fingers digging into her soft dark skin.

 

Scott’s thrusting grew more frantic as it got harder for Amira to see. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her until it felt like she was drowning, and her moans turned into breathless pants.

 

“Howl, _Howl_ ,” Amira tried to warn Scott before she started thrashing on his face.

 

Scott ignored her, clamping her thighs around his head as her feet paddled at his back. His tail began to wag again as a deep growl worked it’s way up from his chest. He sucked her bud into his mouth and circled around it again and again until Amira felt like she was drowning. Her face scrunched up as euphoria rocked her body. Keening, she rocked her hips towards Scott’s face and in return, he gripped her legs so hard they felt numb. Amira felt something wet run against her and realized Scott had cummed again, his seed running down the dip made by her body and pooling around her ass.

 

Wiping at her sweaty face, Amira glanced down at Scott, confused. He sat up on his knees, tail slowing. Everything below his waist was soiled, his underwear had become a dripping, crumbled band and his cock glistened. It was still hard, but nowhere near the angry shade of red it had been when Amira had got him worked up outside and peered down into his pants.

 

Licking her lips. Amira focused on the huge knot towards his base. Roughly the size of a small fist, it throbbed under a collection of shiny brown hairs. Amira remembered how it felt when it was caught in her, how it kept Scott plugged in and helped him drag her back and forth across whatever surface he needed to get off. Her fingers grazed her belly as she remembered the feeling of it being dragged out of her, the huge knob trailing against her slick, rigged walls as he pulled out.

 

“No knot?” She urged him, already spent.

 

Amira didn’t know if she had it in her to come like it again, but she had been dreaming of Scott’s knot for weeks. She wanted to hear him howl as he got off -- as long as it wasn’t bareback.

 

“Hurts,” He grunts, working his hands over her body.

 

Tingles traveled over her skin as he dragged his fingers over her breasts and down her arms. Amira moaned softly, too distracted by his ministrations to get worried.

 

“What hurts?” She mumbled, only paying half attention.

 

“Pulling knot out,” He sniffed.

 

Amira frowned, looking down to see if he was crying. He hoisted her up by her hips, hands pressing into her back. Amira gasped as her body left the bed, and she rested her feet on his back again. She could still feel the bed in a way, just a few inches below her. But Scott held her steady, his strong arms flexing around her body as his nose stopped in her belly button.

 

“Howl?” Amira tried to get him to talk to her.

 

Scott lapped at her skin once, twice. The way he did when he was tasting her skin. Amira shakily reached down and ran her fingers through his thick hair, finding his surgical scar and tracing it.

 

“Scott baby,” She muttered quietly.

 

His entire body shuddered as he looked up at her, tears running down his cheeks. Amira watched him struggle to articulate, his half transformed brain struggling to remember the usual flurry of words he usually let out whenever he asked her to be his girlfriend.

 

“Okay, we’re stopping,” Amira pulled away from him and Scott went lax. It was like all the strength left his body.

 

Sighing, Amira scooted against his pillows and patted her lap. Joy exploded over Scott’s face.

 

“Not leaving?” He yipped, tail beating against the sheets.

 

“I’m not going to leave you sobbing in your room in a soiled, naked mess Howl. God, I’m not a monster,” Amira paused, “Well I am, but not that kind.”

 

Scott laughed, his cloudy eyes clearing just slightly. Amira felt her heart soar as her stomach dropped. It was such a pure sound. She was going to hate the haunting silence later when there was nothing to say and she could practically hear Scott wishing that she would sleep over for the night. The future absence of his laughter almost made it louder, like the universe was trying to make her memorize it so it would echo in her mind later.

 

Scott crawled into her lap, still hard but far calmer than he had been when they first came in. His ankles lagged awkwardly, but Amira forced herself to ignore it. He would get all better in a little bit, then she wouldn’t have to block it out.

 

Amira remembered the box of trophies she’d seem shoved in the corner of the living room when she walked in and closed her eyes.

 

 _I guess “get better” isn’t quite the right word._ She frowned.

 

Scott placed his chin in her lap. He nudged her damp thighs with his cheek, lazily lapping at her skin again. Amira felt the tough buds of his tongue as he took his time. She felt the bed rock as he pistoned his hips again, still horny, but a little more relaxed. She almost wanted to ask him to mount her again, if it made him feel better. But the risk of something awkward coming up again felt too great. Seeing Scott cry broke her heart.

 

“Miry?” Scot muttered.

 

“Hmm?” She rubbed his head.

 

“Why don’t you love me?”

 

Amira stiffened. Slowly, she turned her head to study his face, hoping to God that he wasn’t crying again. But Scott had already fallen asleep, his giant back gently falling as he breathed. They would have more sex when he woke up. He never slept through the night on a full moon. Amira wasn’t quite sure how it would go. They had their agreement, but she hadn’t expected . . . that.

 

 _That’s a lie._ Amira told herself. _You didn’t want that, but you knew it was there. You can feel it too._

 

Amira closed her eyes, hoping for a short nap too. Then maybe her brain would shut up. She would get a little rest, and fuck Scott a couple more times.

 

Then she would go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know this is about a day late, but this first chapter was a bit harder than I thought it was going to be. Now that we got the ball rolling though, chapters will come out a little faster. Leave a comment and tell me what you think.


	2. Amira Moves In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira moves in.

Amira couldn’t breathe, so she was cold. But she was so cold she couldn’t breathe. Wheezing, she tried to inhale some oxygen to feed the fire dying out on her scalp. She was used to the warmth trailing down her neck and making her entire body hum. Feeling her usual flame dance on her head was an old comfort alongside a visual bill of health. But her nose was so stuffed up it was getting hard to keep the flames going. It was bad. Really bad.

 

Amira stumbled as their brain drifted up towards the top of her skull. A mother, a  _ human  _ mother, skirted around Amira as she pulled her child close. It was nighttime, but she looked at Amira like she was crazy for stumbling around at night.

 

No, scratch that, she looked at Amira like she didn’t want her stumbling around at night.

 

Amira closed her eyes as she remembered her roommates’ pathetic taunts. They felt fine kicking her when they were all together, and the slurs had come to them so easily that Amira figured they must’ve been practicing for months. But the group of twiggy girls failed to come across as legitimately terrifying. The only way they had gotten her on the ground in the first place was because of the wards they had been secretly stashing around the house. They had gotten the cheap water runes off some street market somewhere -- the real deal might’ve killed Amira. That’s what really scared her, what it all meant.

 

She stumbled past a news cart, and the vendor quickly moved to block whatever the headline was. Amira didn’t need to see it. The flash of angry people protesting for foreign expulsion was enough. 

 

There was a soft grunt. Amira turned. The portly man started to amble towards her but stopped halfway. He looked more hesitant than malicious, and Amira couldn’t help but think that what the papers said wasn’t his fault. He just sold what other people printed. Telling the news wasn’t the same as making it. She forced herself to relax. He smiled hesitantly and poked her arm.

 

Amira immediately tensed, gritting her teeth together. For a moment her flame flared and the portly man went scrambling back. Pain exploded through her right side as she clutched her arm and fell to her knees, the screaming from her mouth muffled by the fuzzy noises in her head. Amira curled up on the sidewalk, basking in how warm the sidewalk felt against her face. With her body losing heat as quickly as it was, the sidewalk was a little comfort.

 

“She awake bro?”

 

Amira blinked half-formed tears out of her eyes, the first tears she’d had in a while. Amira just didn’t “cry”. And if she was ever unlucky enough to get something in her eyes to the point they watered, the tears usually dissipated into steam by the time they hit her cheeks. Struggling to look past them, she made out the blurry figures looming over her and prayed they weren’t really frat boys.

 

“I dunno. That’s definitely Scott’s djinn though.”

 

Her heart stopped.  _ Worse _ . 

 

Seeing the Wolfpack and Scott stay together through high school and into college was just so . . . Scott. Amira didn’t know how else to explain it. The fact that she couldn’t explain is what unnerved her actually. How everything always seemed to work out for him despite his expectations being recklessly naive. How his bright mood persisted no matter what he went to. How seeing him stupidly fawn over something dumb like a ball somehow made her feel more than an entire afternoon with friends.

 

A family that somehow miraculously stayed together for almost two decades and all played on the same team sounded more like a television show than something that could actually happen in reality. Then again, Scott seemed pretty resistant to reality and all its consequences. 

 

Amira winced as she remembered, her body twitching.  _ He used to be anyway. _

 

One of Wolfpack men swore, “No way, pick her up. Nothing better have happened to her. I already had to tell him what coach said. I’m not telling him his mate died strung out on drugs or something.”

 

Amira tried to scowl, but the pain rippling through her body was too much and it turned into a grimace, “I’m no one’s mate.”

 

“Yeah, that’s  _ definitely  _ her.”

 

Amira whimpered as a giant arm looped around her body and hoisted her onto his shoulder. He smelled like sweat and turf. Amira just barely made out the numbers on the back of their jerseys. Somewhere in the back of her incredibly compromised mind, the sight triggers the memory of wearing Scott’s and her face crumbled. Another chill rippled through her body as her arm throbbed. Shit, this  _ hurt _ .

 

Amira liked to think of herself as bold. A big part of that was her lack of fear, bolstered by her ability to dodge pain. Most fists that set their eyes on her ended up with severe third-degree burns, and everything else got disintegrated. But Aira couldn’t throw fire at her broken are, or the infection that seemed to be eating away at her ability to stay conscious. Amira bit down on her tongue until it bothered her more than her sigh. Relenting, she whispered.

 

“Howl’s house.”

 

The Wolfpack member carrying her jumped, “What?”

 

“Howl’s house, bring me to Howl’s house,” She spat out, trying not to sob.

 

“She actually wants to go there?”

 

“Holy cow man, she’s actually dying.”

 

Amira punched his back, warbling, “Now!”

 

“The longer we take, the more pissed off Scott will be when he sees her,” The other werewolf said nervously.

 

Amira sighed as the one carrying her shifted and began to run.

 

* * *

 

God, she felt so good. Everything was just a mess of sensations:

 

Softness. Softness from little buds wiping away at her skin. Soft gauze. Soft breaths. Soft light. Someone soft and sterile was picking her up and putting her on something else soft. Ooh, and something soft slid over her. Niiiiice.

 

Soft yelling. Soft rustling. Amira turned over and played with the softness, smiling as it puffed up around her and shifted around her body. Then she felt something sharp and stopped. There was enough softness without rolling.

 

More soft yelling. Louder yelling. Amira hissed, her face crumpling. Then  _ she  _ became soft. A horde of smells forced her to. Expensive alcohol, the kind that she was used to hustling out of fuck boys. Sunshine. Grass. Amira nuzzled closer and frantic drumbeat appeared in her ear. She listened to it as she became weightless. Her legs dangled through the air until she started to shiver and someone folded them to her chest. Their body heat wrapped around her like the world’s best, fuzziest blanket. Amira sighed.

 

“Miry?”

 

Scott’s baby blue eyes studied Amira as she slowly came to, his nose twitching. Amira turned her head to and fro, taking in the massive amount of pillows on either side of her body. A few dozen blankets had been tossed over her while she dozed and a dozen candles sat burning throughout the room. Amira’s hair was roaring; she was so cozy.

 

Amira inhaled deeply and was relieved to find she could breathe. The smell of Scott Howl stuck to the inside of her nose as he hovered over her. Bourbon, sunshine, and grass. Without thinking, Amira took another deep sniff. Fuck, she was already addicted.

 

Scott rumbled. He was wearing a crumpled dress shirt that showed off his arms and a dark pair of jeans that hugged his thighs just right. He slowly sat on the edge of the bed, leaning towards her. His nose twitched and Amira knew he was doing the same to her. She was too out of it to put up her usual defenses and instinctively flashed her neck, where her natural smell was thickest.

 

Scott’s tail wagged as he took a long, deep smell, “You’re comfortable?”

 

“Mm-hm,” Amira blinked slowly, feeling out her surroundings.  Her left hand brushed over the soft sheets while the right immediately cramped. Amira glanced down and took in her bright blue cast.

 

“I took you to the hospital,” Scott got closer, and Amira found herself relaxing more as his smell became more pungent, “The doctors said you would be fine. You’ll stay here with me and get some rest? Like a good girl? When I finished my rest, Dr. Clark called me a good boy.”

 

“You are a good boy,” Amira yawned, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

 

Scott started to lean into it before he remembered himself and stood up. His serene expression changed to something a bit more troubled.

 

“Dr. Clark said you were on a lot of stuff. You’re not saying this, Shiny blue pills are,” Scott’s ears drooped. 

 

Amira beckoned him back with open arms. She already missed his presence and he hadn’t even left the room back. The room was warm sure, but it felt strangely empty. Or maybe it was Amira’s arms that felt empty. Nothing sounded more appealing than the thought of having the gentle giant in her arms. As he shied away from her, Amira clicked gently at him with her tongue, beckoning Scott back.

 

“Mmm, I definitely want hugs,” Amira said honestly.

 

Scott’s tail began to wag wildly. His nose twitched again, and he leaned forward at the offer. Hesitating, he looked Amira up and down. She clicked again, and unable to stop himself, Scott surged forward. Amira sighed as his weight settled on her, tucking his head under her chin. Closing her eyes, she took a deep sniff again, watching Scott’s tail wag as he hugged her side. 

 

He eagerly reciprocated, leaning up to push his nose into her neck. Amira rubbed the back of his neck and she could feel him go stiff. 

 

“Forget the agreement,” She urged him.

 

Scott looked up so fast, Amira was surprised he didn’t break his neck. She made harder circles, trying to get him to untense.

 

“Not all,” She quickly added, “But this is okay now. This closeness.”

 

Scott nodded, his excitement tampering down. Her revised request made a little more sense of how she usually was. Amira continued to touch him, letting her hand drift across his chest. Scott rumbled, his arms tightening around her protectively.

 

“Who did this to you Miry?” Scott asked.

 

His voice was hesitant, not angry. Like he was trying not to push it. If her arm hadn’t been nudged in the first place, she probably would've made it to the hospital herself. She wouldn’t be in Scott’s house right now. Being angry might scare her off. It ran the risk of being protective.  _ Possessive _ . Amira didn’t like the thought of being possessed by anyone. Scott knew that.

 

“Humans,” Amira said, her voice clipped as her half drugged mind continued to drift.

 

“ . . .Okay,” Scott answered, not pushing his luck.

 

Amira felt her body urging her to fall back to sleep. Yawning, she looked at Scott, “Can I stay?”

 

She never wanted to let go of Scott, not when she was like this. Warm cuddles, mm.

 

“Yes!” Scott barked excitedly, “I will be here. Well not always here, but mostly. We can talk all the time, not just near the end of the month. More time than full moon time!”

 

“Nice,” Amira yawned again, closing her eyes. 

 

She couldn’t quite remember what ‘full moon time’ was. But she definitely wanted more Scott time. Scott time felt so nice. It reminded her of older times, older dates. When they would both go to places besides bars before Scott started looking at her adoringly. Amira didn’t have to worry about expressing her emotions, because they wouldn’t indirectly sting him along. She could enjoy lounging on Scott’s thighs worry-free, or sunbathe without having Scott stare at her back wantonly. Games were just games and she didn’t have to think about her feelings too deeply.

 

Amira pulled Scott closer as she began to drift off, basking in the glow of their memories together. Every once in a while Howl would show up. He’d either been whispering in her ear at a bar or railing her against one. Amira frowned. Howl couldn’t do anything for her now. She wanted Scott and his happy tail wags. Scott cuddled her.

 

“Scott,” Amira mumbled as she fell asleep in his arms, mind drifting between the reality she wanted, the reality she pretended she wanted and the one that she had.


	3. Bonding In Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira decides to pretend she can be with Scott. Just for a day.

It takes about two weeks before Amira is allowed to go off her meds, and about fifteen days to fully realize what she’s done.

 

Scott had moved in. Well, considering she was in his house, that wasn’t exactly accurate. She didn’t exactly bring anything with her, but it was clear she was hunkering down on his territory. But the fact that he was sleeping in her room felt weird enough that she was counting it.

 

Out of all the pillows on the huge bed Scott situated on the bed, he was her favorite. As the potency of the drugs dipped and rose, Amira buried her face in his huge chest and breathed in the smell of Scott. The first few times he was fairly unresponsive. Scott would stiffen up, surprise and strain flashing across his face. Despite giving him a little bit of leeway when it came to cuddles, all the nuzzling wasn’t helping him adjust to the new temporary boundaries she’d put in place. Scott’s mutterings, drowned out by the throbbing in her head, began to come back to her at full volume.

 

“She keeps spreading her scent all over me . . .”

 

“Do I rub up on her? I want to so bad!”

 

“She doesn’t _know_ she’s scenting me.”

 

“Maybe she does? Miry has always been so smart. Miry, Miry, Miry . . .”

 

 _Shit_. Amira thought, closing her eyes. The light in her room was too bright. Even though her arm didn’t hurt nearly as much as it used to, suddenly going off her pills made her feel weak. She had adjusted to the extra boost. Now she had to go without it, Amira was forced to figure out how to get out of the mess she just created with the feeling of laying around in bed for days on end.

 

Rolling her shoulders, Amira groaned at the weight of her arms. It felt like she’d never used them before. She knew she needed to get up, but she wasn’t sure if she had the strength. Leaning into Scott felt so easy. She had agreed to let him switch her into one of his old jerseys. Amira felt blanketed by Scott.

 

His leg twitched as his boner pressed up against her. Amira resisted the urge to grind up on him. He was sleeping after all. But it was so much easier to imagine gently waking Scott up and have a nice morning of soft loving. They wouldn’t even have to move. Scott was already pressed up against her.

 

Before she could stop herself, a flash of intense memories shot through her mind and set her body on fire. Scott’s chest rubbing against her back. His arms possessively wrapped around her waist, as strong as iron bars. The way his voice changed as he transformed, the full moon still weeks away. The brush of his teeth against her neck as he claimed her.

 

Amira slapped a hand over her face as her stomach twisted. Fuck it all, now she was wet.

 

 _It’s not sexy. It’s not sexy._ Amira scowled as she rubbed her legs together. Unease spread through her body as the memory of her birthday came back full force, accompanied by a few thousand unresolved strings of attachment. Amira clutched at her chest as her heart started to race, not sure if she felt breathless out of desire or dread.

 

Her fingers grazed against the old scar on her neck. Amira’s pinkie traced the divets where his teeth had pierced her skin and every nerve ending in her body had exploded. Amira stared at the wall, distracted until Scott began to shift. He nosed her neck and Amira shivered, feeling the desire to be near him strengthen. She should’ve never let him snuggle up to her in the first place. If she’d asked him to leave her alone they wouldn’t have fallen asleep together. How many nights had they spent like this?

 

 _Fifteen days._ Her brain chugged along slowly, still a little hazy. _And fourteen nights?_

 

Amira touched her mark again. How much had their Bond passively strengthened in that time?

 

“Fuck,” Amira cussed, wiggling away from Scott.

 

Swearing again, she fought against his legendary strength, eyes locked on the bathroom door. His huge arms tightened around her, digging into her taut stomach. Amira’s legs felt like mush as her arousal twitched against her. Scott had once drunkenly told her he always felt frisky in the morning and the thought had occupied her mind for days. Amira started to zone out again until Scott groaned and all desire to keep pretending like she wanted to leave went out the window.

 

Why was she even “struggling” against his arms? She could dissolve into smoke. Amira pressed her mouth into a thin line, exhaling softly as his knee pressed against the inside of her thighs.

 

Just one day. One day couldn’t hurt, could it? One day of basking in Scott’s strange intensity -- before it got strange. As long as Amira didn’t have to see his eager face for more than a day, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t freak out.

 

“Scott, baby,” Amira whispered. She reached down and squeezed his muscular thigh.

 

Scott quickly came to, his ears pricking up as he went on alert, “Miry? You’re hurt?”

 

Amira blushed, “No Scott. It’s just, you’re kind of up on me.”

 

Scott looked down, his innocent eyes filling with fear. Quickly making eye contact with her, he opened his mouth to apologize. Amira immediately slipped three fingertips inside, her thumb brushing against his chin.

 

Face going completely red, Scott’s legs twitched as he sat up, looking sweaty. Amira’s fingers were yanked out, and her hand was left hovering in the air.

 

“Pills?” He asked voice clipped. His forehead shined with sweat.

 

Amira winced as exhaustion rippled through her body, her broken arm throbbing with a dull ache, “Hell no.”

 

Scott squirmed. He grimaced, his eyes shining, and Amira felt like the shittiest person in the world.

 

“Miry I’m so confused,” Scott said in one breath, “You’re mad?”

 

Amira climbed on him. She gently kissed his mouth as he frantically studied her, struggling not to move.

 

“I feel . . . good. I feel good right now. Today. About us. Let’s do us today,” She fumbled.

 

Scott transformed. His ears flopped as hope flooded his eyes and the tenseness drained out of his body. His tail beat against the bed as he scooped her up. Amira squealed as she became weightless before Scott slammed her into his chest and hugged the air out of her lungs.

 

“Aw man, it’s going to be so great Miry,” Scott yipped, “ You and me all day! We can go get breakfast and play tag and hop in puddles and run around fountains and eat lunch and bathe in the sunshine and tear up furniture like we used to and, and, and --”

 

Amira rolled his cock between her legs. Scott choked, his body stilling. Unceremoniously, he dropped her on his lap. Scott hesitated, not sure what he was allowed to do. Before he could ask, Amira had planted her hands on his chest. Bending her neck, she took a long look at what she was working with.

 

Scott had already popped his knot. Amira didn’t even need to pull his briefs down to check. It showed through his underwear, along with a growing wet spot. Amira dragged her hands down his chest and stopped at the edge of the band, rubbing her thighs together as Scott rumbled.

 

“If you let me deepthroat you we can start breakfast now,” Amira purred.

 

Scott shuddered, fumbling with his underwear, “Miry, my knot . . .”

 

“I can suck around it,” Amira hummed seductively.

 

She sucked his tip into her mouth as he drew his underwear down to his thighs. Scott bucked his hips, reaching around to grab Amira’s ass as she bent over. Her plump lips ran against the throbbing vein on his shaft as he pawed at her skin, his eyes lingering on her back. He thrust into her mouth as her hair flared, his heavy breathing turning into doglike panting.

 

“Miry, your back,” Scott huffed.

 

“You can touch it,” Amira said, voice muffled as she wiggled her hips.

 

Amira breathed through her nose as she slowly began to suck him off,  shuddered as he planted his hands on her back. Bobbing her head, she listened to him growl. He dug into her skin as she sucked in her cheeks, running the inside of her mouth against his stiff heat. His weight rocked on her on and off as Scott tried to keep a hold on himself. She could feel him start to change as he rolled his hips, cock bobbing in her mouth. His nails shifted to claws as he traced her tailbone. His hands moved across her back to her sides, like when she had let him mount her.

 

Amira lashed her tongue against his tip, and the salty taste of his precum spread through her mouth. Scott throbbed as Amira’s jaw ached. She strained her neck, letting him slide down her throat as her lips kissed his knot. Scott growled his grip loosening and becoming firmer at the same time as precum began to fill her mouth. Scott’s hands danced between her back and hips, struggling not to come off as possessive.

 

“Your lips are so soft Miry, so soft,” He panted.

 

“Mhm,” She turned her head, tongue circling around his dick as she bobbed down again, resting part of her head on his thigh.

 

Scott groaned, his legs shifting under her. He twisted on the bed, bucking up hard as she went back down again. His chest rose and fell frantically over her. Amira kept pace, generously lavishing him with her tongue whenever he thrust into her. She reached around to gently grasp his balls, pussy flexing then she felt them twitch in her hands.

 

Scott grasped at his stomach as it surged with heat. Sweat ran down Amira’s face as she began to speed up, her head nudged up by Scott’s twitching legs. She kissed Scott’s knot, once, twice, three times, _seven times_. Scott whined, his hands clamping onto her body.

 

“Miry,” Scott warned, “Miry, I-I-I’m going to cum.”

 

Amira nodded, making her mouth warmer. With a low moan, she slid all the way forward, his knot twitching as it slipped past her lips.

 

Scott shouted. Amira arched her back, gasping as Scott grabbed her, his fingers curling around her front as his thumbs worked hard circles into the dimples above her ass. He surged forward as he came, his balls twitching in her grasp. Amira became lightheaded as he flooded her mouth, cum dripping past her lips as saltiness poured down her throat. Scott gently mouth fucked her, his girth pressing against the roof of her mouth as he tested her limits, pulling her closer by the ass as the vein on his cock wildly throbbed.

 

Amira cried out as his hands slipped down further and spread the lips of her pussy. Scott grunted in satisfaction, watching more of his cum spill down her neck as he painted the inside of her throat. Warmth filled Amira’s body as she did her best to swallow it all, shuddering as it trailed down into her stomach. She choked as he slipped his fingers past her wet lips, gently testing the folds of her arousal. Scott affectionately leaned down to nip her back, whispering sweet nothings into her skin.

 

Desire exploded through Amira as she ripped her mouth off him with a wet pop. Scott whined aggressively until he saw the desperate look on her face. Coming back to his senses, he pulled his fingers away from her wet heat and began to sit up. Hovering close to her face, he licked away the trails of filth running down her neck.

 

“Okay?” He prodded her, nosing her sweaty face, “You’re okay Amira?”

 

“Yeah Scott,” Amira struggled to breathe, “My arm just cramped.”

 

That was a lie. Her body was the exact opposite of a cramp right now, good god. She could feel the walls of her pussy slid together as Scott loomed before her. She put a hand on his huge chest and felt his heart beat frantically. Amira wanted that drumbeat against her back so bad, and the arousal turning her body into mush tossed the thought of his knot back and forth in her mind. The old feeling of it forcing its way through the tight walls of her pussy, getting caught, and coming undone as Scott started their Bond with a bite.

 

She glanced at Scott. His morning wood had died down some, but his knot was still there, redder than she’d ever seen it. Ever since Scott told her it hurt to pull out she hadn’t asked for it.

 

Amira whimpered and Scott sniffed the air, hands twitching.

 

“I don’t have to,” Scott swallowed, “I-I don’t have to knot you Miry. We can just . . .”

 

He trailed off, not sure how to finish his sentence. He was too far into knotting for them to casually hump each other like they used to, and Amira couldn’t imagine Scott’s tongue getting her off when what she wanted hung between his legs. She stumbled out of bed, too drunk on Scott to imagine leaving but too apprehensive to crawl back into bed. It was too intense, and she knew she would never leave the house if she let him knot her again. It felt too good. Unlike everything that came after.

 

“I’m going to take a shower,” She announced, stumbling over to the bathroom.

 

She slammed the door shut behind her, cutting off Scott’s magnetic pull. Ignoring her flushed reflection, she sat down on the cold edge of the tub, but it did nothing to dampen the heat consuming her body. Every nerve in her body was humming, and she desperately wished she could go outside, let Scott smother her with his body and listen to all his promises as he finished off their Bond.

 

She turned the shower faucet to cold and stepped inside.

 


	4. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira runs into an old . . . friend.

Amira breathed slowly, struggling to pace herself. If she zoned out and put her head directly under the shower she might actually put it out. Wouldn’t that be a pathetic death? “Indirectly dying from horniness after thrusting her head into water ” would make a hell of a tombstone.

 

Deciding not to take any chances. Amira reached up and detached the shower head. She had been hesitant about messing with any of Scott’s stuff. It made her feel like she had been in his house longer than she had like she had some sort of claim over his things. Like she was his mate.

 

Amira’s stomach flipped as she quickly forced herself to think of anything else. She had come in here to cool down, hadn’t she? Focusing on her broken arm, Amira slowly starts to heat it up, wincing as the muscles around the broken bone twitch. Water immediately evaporates off of it, keeping her cast dry. She cautiously tested her arm, lifting it with her other hand.

 

Fuck her roommates. Amira was done with this xenophobic bullshit before it even started. Her name was on the lease. Why did she have to leave? She ought to sue the landlord. He had just watched.

 

 _With what money?_ Amira cringed.

 

Life hadn’t exactly been kind to her in the past few months, and her savings account had all but been eviscerated trying to find short-term cures to all the nasty shit her old roommates kept hiding around her room. Her car had rolled into a river, leading her to pay a bunch of environmental charges, including the bill to drag it out. After all that, it wasn’t even fixable, so she could even really go  anywhere but the few bars close to --

 

 _Close to what? That’s not my house anymore._ Amira rubbed her face. _I probably don’t even have a job anymore either. It’s not like I ever told Scott whenever he asked about it. So he definitely could’ve put in a leave of absence. I’ve been gone for two weeks._

 

 _Which means I’ll have to stay here._ Amira looks up. Her legs feel weak. She doesn’t know what’s worse. The fact that she somehow landed herself in this situation, or the fact that instead of dread -- which she **should** feel -- exhilaration was shooting through her like a firework.

 

“What’s wrong with me,” She said out loud, looking at the tile.

 

Her heart was racing. This wasn’t helping at all. She shivered. Goosebumps covered her body from head to toe and she still felt hot. Involuntarily the rest of her body temperature rose to met that of her arm. More steam filled the room and darted out the crack of the bathroom door.

 

_What’s wrong with me is that I want to stay here._

 

“Miry?” Scott called out. The bed creaked as he stood up, his feet making a heavy thud as he landed on the floor.

 

Amira’s clutched her chest as her unbroken hand inched towards her belly button. No, Scott couldn’t come in here. Not when she was like this. She felt like she might faint. Even though the only thing she had worn in bed was his jersey, there was something about being wet and naked that felt so much more vulnerable.

 

“There’s a lot of steam coming out. You’re okay, aren’t you?” He walked towards the door.

 

“Don’t come in!” She yelped, cupping her pelvis.

 

Her mind was already conjuring up images of Scott showering with her. She hadn’t forgotten his face when she climbed out of bed as he silently beckoned her to come back. All he would have to do is ask, really.

 

He stopped in front of the door. She could just make out the silhouette of his feet through the gauzy shower curtain. Stepping back, he hesitated then darted away. Amira listened to his footsteps as he went downstairs.

 

“Thank god,” Amira warbled, feeling lightheaded.

 

She had been conscious for only a few hours, but it felt like she had been with Scott forever. It felt like she was expecting him somehow. The thoughts in her head didn’t just seem like fantasies, they seemed routine. Like she was expecting him. Telling him to back off felt wrong. Out of the norm.

 

 _Probably because this is stupid._ Amira rubbed her face. This wasn’t working.

 

Turning off the faucet, she stepped out of the shower and carefully began to towel herself down. She tossed a few cotton balls onto her head for extra measure, sighing as her hair consumed them and flared up. Amira glanced at Scott’s jersey. She didn’t know where Scott put her tube dress, and it was probably filthy. Putting his shirt back on was the best option.

 

Slowly, she picked it up off the floor and wrung it over her head, shuddering as Scott’s smell filled her nose. Just as quickly as the shower turned her frigid, the smell of Scott filled her body with warmth until she felt exactly as she had when she first walked in.

 

“Let’s see what’s up with breakfast,” She sighed.

 

* * *

 

“Liam de Lioncourt?!”

 

Liam turned around as Amira shouted, meeting her accusing finger with a “smile”. Baring his fangs, he met her loud voice with an upturned grimace as he hovered over Scott’s gas stove.

 

“Amira,” He started silkily, his finger tracing the counter, “It’s nice to see you are finally up. I sent Scott out for eggs.”

 

The graceful arc of his digit turned into a claw as the veins in his hands tensed, “I trust you’ve been comfortable during your stay. Not that you probably remember much. Every time I’ve check in on you and Scott you draped across him half asleep.”

 

“What are you doing here?” Amira demanded.

 

Liam leaned against the counter. Besides his hand, he seemed relaxed. Or maybe it was condescending. Amira could never really tell.

 

“With Scott doting on you, someone needed to keep things running around here. I’ve been vetting candidates for a maid while cooking. I figured since Scott was going to be so dramatic and not cook for himself until you could move around, I could try and enlighten his palette, but god help me if he actually noticed,” He looked her up and down, “I see he’s already given you the key to his closet. Glad to see the reason he almost lost his job over something important like his flaky girlfriends and not something stupid like preparing lectures.”

 

Amira frowned, “What are you talking about?”

 

Liam snorted and turned around. Amira scowled, watching him levitate off the floor to pick through Scott’s spice cabinet. She couldn’t remember a time when she and the vampire had ever gotten along. The best example she could think of was high school, but “barely interacted” wasn’t the same as “being friends”.

 

College was just four short years, but it was enough time for them to hate each other. Between the way Howl seemed to change whenever she joined him and Liam for drinks, the limbo their relationship seemed to be in and her tendency to turn any event she went to into an obnoxious rager, she and Liam hadn’t had a lot to bond over.

 

Liam made Amira uncomfortable too. _Really_ uncomfortable. He did the same thing Scott did that made her so skittish but on purpose. The passion with which he talked about things, even tiny shit she was sure he couldn’t over analyze, made her skin crawl. She was supposed to be the life of the party but with Liam around, she was always missing something.

 

He was dressed in a crop top and a very liberal looking dragonhide suit. The cowboy boots he decided to wear with it would make anyone else look ridiculous, but Liam’s vibe was so strong that they didn’t even matter. It felt like there was a snake in the room.

 

He played with a leg of his aviator glasses, “How long are you going to fuck with him this time?”

 

Amira flinched. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but refused to give him the upper hand, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

His ears flicked back, “I’m talking about the mark on your neck.”

 

Amira flushed, clamping her fingers over Scott’s old teeth marks, “That’s low.”

 

“You think something Scott gave to you in earnest is low,” He peered down at her snidely, “How completely unsurprising.”

 

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Amira defended herself.

 

 _“It doesn’t matter what you mean, what matters is what you do,”_ Liam hissed, soaring towards her.

 

Amira reeled as he stopped inches from her face. Despite her usual odds, Amira was still down for squaring up against the all-powerful vampire.  She moved her shoulder and winced as pain traveled up her broken arm.

 

Liam pulled back with a snort, his forked tongue settling back in his mouth, “Pathetic as always Amira.”

 

Amira’s blood boiled. She had already dealt with enough this morning. She was already dealing with a lot now. She already knew everything he was saying was true. She did not need lip from Liam. Searching the recesses of her mind, she looked for something to throw back at him.

 

She laughed curtly, “It’s lucky you’re so available.”

 

“Weak response as al --”

 

“It's because Brian’s fucking Vicky right now isn’t he?” Amira crooned.

 

Liam's lips moved, but no sound came out. His golden pupils glinted, the condescension in them slowly morphing between surprise and anguish until it exploded into fury.

 

“How, how,” He could barely form words, “ _How dare you._ ”

 

“My favorite fun time gal could never decide could she?” Amira smiled, “I still party with Polly, but she stopped because she couldn’t decide if what clubs she still liked after your first little liplock incident. It took her two years to decide on a major because she couldn’t choose, she’s moved four times since then because she can’t figure out what climate she likes, and oh yeah, she convinced you to try out this terrible little three-way because she can’t decide if she wants to ditch you then fully date Brian, or if she wants to keep stringing you along for a place to stay while Brian - -”

 

“Shut up,” Liam whispered dangerously, “I swear to god if you don’t shut up.”

 

“Not that that one’s really her fault. You’re the one that told her you just wanted to fuck because relationships were too mainstream,” Amira taunted.

 

Liam fumed. His slick bob billowed back from his face as his body hummed with energy. Amira knew that Liam outranked her in just about every possible way. The vampire didn’t even try and his powers were easily more vast than her’s, just by virtue of being alive for hundreds of years.

 

Amira didn’t care. Liam was shaking and it was so satisfying. She had never gotten him this angry. She had certainly gotten close, all other times involved Vicky too, but he looked like he was going to blast her halfway across town.

 

“Liam I couldn’t remember if you said brown eggs or white so I got both!” Scott chirped, his voice muffled, as he bounded inside with three crushed cartoons full of eggs in his mouth.

 

Liam and Amira froze. Scott’s ears drooped as he gave Liam a warning glance.

 

“Liam, Miry, you’re not fighting are you?” His tail lowered.

 

 _Oh no._ Amira thought, guessing exactly what was about to happen. Her will was going to go down like a ton of bricks.

 

His lip curled inward as his blue eyes grew. Amira’s heart stopped as he pouted, tail slowly sweeping the floor. A soft whine sounded out from his throat, and Amira felt her heart melt.

 

“Miry, I thought we were going to spend the day together. I thought you wanted to try,” He begged.

 

Liam’s shoulders untensed. Anger still lingered in his eyes, but it had cooled down to the point where he could remember he was supposed to be smug.

 

“Yeah Amira,” Liam jutted his chin back, “You’re not going to ditch Scott are you?”

 

Liam’s question sounded less like an actual question and more like a statement. Amira scowled. It wasn’t like he was speaking from a lack of experience.

 

“I am spending the day with Scott actually Liam,” Amira looked at Scott’s mouth as it curved into a smile, “It looks like breakfast is canceled though.”

 

Egg yolk poured onto the floor as Scott continued to hold the egg cartons in his mouth. Liam sighed, floating over towards Scott.

 

“Scott,” He stared, “What on Earth gave you the idea not to use shopping bags.”

 

Scott’s tail wags slowed as he looked down, slowly coming to realize his mistake.

 

“Aw, sorry Liam. I guess I got so excited about Amira I forgot myself,” He pulled the cartons off his teeth and set them on the carton.

 

“I understand,” Liam grinned at Amira sarcastically.

 

“It’s okay,” Amira smiled back, “We can eat out, all three of us. Liam and I have been talking, and it sounds like he really misses you. We can all catch up.”

 

“Oh?” Liam’s grin waned cautiously.

 

“I don’t know Miry,” Scott hesitated, “I was thinking it would just be me and you.”

 

“Nonsense, I know just the place. We can split off afterward,” Amira walked towards Scott and embraced her, burying her face in his chest.

 

He immediately stiffened. Amira let bliss ripple over her as she listened to Scott’s fast heartbeat and inhaled his must, enjoying the presence of his muscular built as he softly wrapped his arms around her before Liam snarled.

 

“Where is this lovely bistro?” Liam ‘s voice dripped with saccharine.

 

“Oh, it’s not a bistro. It’s more a fusion bar,” Amira explained.

 

“Of course, alcohol,” Liam said snidely.

 

Amira felt Scott’s chest rise as he picked up on Liam’s tone, obvious readying himself to speak. Mira cut him off, gently pressing a finger to his lips.

 

“Don’t sound so pessimistic Liam. There are little artsy dishes for you too. Vicky loves them so much that she convinced him to put them on the menu when he opened the place,” Amira purred, “Brian has excellent taste.”

 

The salt shaker in Liam’s hand exploded.


	5. Flash In The Pan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I guess you could say breakfast went off with a bang HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.

Amira wanted to glare back at Liam, but Brian’s niece was way too god damn cute.

 

Warmth bubbling in her chest, Amira rocked the toddler on one hip, cooing into the baby zombie’s ear. Squealing, Titania reached up towards Amira’s hair, flames dancing in her eyes. Amira dipped down and smuched their noses together, laughing as Titantia hooked her pinkies into her hoops. Ridiculous, mindless joy blazed through her body and made Liam’s intense, golden stare feel less like a vengeful sun and more like a dying light.

 

Scott rumbled.

 

Amira flushed, a tingle spreading through her belly. She didn’t need to look at him to know what he was thinking. Anxiety cut into her mood as Titania toddled back towards Brian. Tugging on his pants leg, the baby squealed and hopped up and down as she demanded to be picked back up again. 

 

“Isn’t she so super-cute?” Vicky cooed.

 

Liam’s ears flicked back as Brian nodded in agreement. Grunting, be picked Titania up and propped her against his chest. Vicky immediately turned towards him so she could start playing with Titania, scooting in close to the point she was almost sitting on Brian’s lap. The zombie grinned, his perfect white teeth flashing through the giant piece of missing flesh in his face as he smiled. Well played.

 

Amira  _ knew  _ how Vicky had gotten into this position, but she couldn’t figure out why the fuck she was staying in it. Brian seemed like the obvious choice, and it had nothing to do with his family.

 

Titania gurgled and Amira almost melted again. Well, maybe it was a little bit.

 

Brian didn’t seem to be half the emotionally unstable, pretentious know it all that thought he knew everything just because he was in a band like Liam. He didn’t bring up all his “jaded years of living” when it suited him like Liam. Brian seemed far more handsome, far more successful. All four of them were sitting in his bistro right now, and the lucrative restaurant was his  _ hobby _ . Amira has seen him commanding some of Hell’s most terrifying forces as head of the guard. Liam was head of the fucking scrubs.

 

Literally. In another one of his “famous” name changes, he’d switched the band name to The Fucking Scrubs to be ironic.

 

_ ‘God you’re unbearable.’  _ Amira mouthed to the vampire as he glowered at Titania. 

 

Smiling, he flipped her off, fags flashing dangerously as Scott buried his face in a menu.

 

“What do you want Miry?” Scott asked excitedly.

 

Amira tried to work up a smile as she watched his tail furiously wag. Just a few seconds ago, she had experienced the same easy, powerful happiness that Scott got from looking at just about everything. The only difference was that Scott seemed to able to achieve it almost on command, and Amira struggled to produce an iota of it on a daily basis. Not from lack of trying either.

 

“We could share a steak,” Amra blurted out without thinking.

 

Scott’s eyes went all wide as he gave her a huge grin. Amira’s heart fluttered as he rocked back and forth. 

 

“We haven’t had a steak together in forever! Really?” Scott grinned.

 

“Yeah bud,” Amira gave in before she could spout out one of her usual rejections.

 

“How generous of you,” Liam leaned in, leering, “Considering your lack of funds. I guess you figure Scott is paying, which also comes with the wild assumption that Scott still has a job after he’s been spending all his time fretting after you.”

 

Amira stiffened, “You don’t have a job Scott?”

 

Scott waved his hands, “I do! I do! Don’t freak out Miry. I mean, I’m still on probation and the dean said they might extend it again if I don’t start showing up . . . “

 

“Again?” Amira felt sick.

 

“Mmm,” Liam hummed triumphantly, his job done.

 

Vicky glowered at him as Brian raised his eyebrows. The zombie looked like he was trying to figure out why he was still trying to compete with Liam in the first place. The vampire wilted under her silent disapproval, and for a fraction of a fraction of a second Amira felt satisfied. It was quickly stomped up by the dread the swallowed up her brief moment of joy.

 

Of course, she ended up putting Scott on probation.  _ Of course.  _ This always happened. 

 

“It won’t be much longer Scott,” Brian spoke up.

 

His voice was deep and steady. Everyone’s gaze was immediately drawn to him. Even Liam’s, who seemed determined to ignore Vicky’s other boyfriend. A couple of passing waiters slowed, pretending to be momentarily confused so they could listen.

 

“You’re amazing at astrology Scott. I remember when I was still going to Spooky U. I’ve heard your lessons. I’ve combed through my mind and I don’t think I had a single professor as engaging as you,” Brian finished.

 

It took a second before everyone relaxed back to normal. Scott began bouncing in his seat again, Amira went from attentive back to stiff, Vicky’s hair frizzed up as her bolts resparked and Liam slipped back into his angsty slouch. Amira always figured if Brian ever got tired of working in Hell that he could just release a series of tapes, or start recording books. His voice was so entrancing.

 

Amira hoped he was right. She didn’t have the guts to ask Scott about his job. Not when she just figured out that she almost made him lose it.

 

_ Oh like you were going to remember to ask him before.  _ She derided herself. 

 

Scott having a job meant he wouldn’t be completely alone when this little fantasy ended and she left him again. Amira knew it was for the best that she ditch the werewolf, but she didn’t have the steel to do it. That’s why they were on again off again and not a one night stand in the far past. Amira knew better than to commit herself to someone with such a bright future.

 

Amira flinched as she remembered how much that future had changed, and how Scott had begged her to be there when it did. She was cowardly then, and actively ruining his second chance now. Wow, what a piece of shit.

 

Scott’s hand gently pressed itself against her thigh and Amira’s hair blazed. Fuck, it was hard to think when it felt like someone had lit a second fire in her cheeks. As her stomach turned to mush, she involuntarily looked into Scott’s eyes and saw something new. Behind his general joy, there was a sharpness Aira’s had never noticed. It was an awareness she honestly didn’t think Scott had. Instead of simply hitting her with a smile, there was a glimmer of frustration there. His smile was a bit strained at the corners. It was like he knew what she was thinking -- it was like he knew she was thinking of running.

 

The mark on her neck throbbed.

 

Amira didn’t know when they started staring at each other, but suddenly Vicky was clearing her throat and turning her attention towards Liam. 

 

“So Liam, how’s the band doing?” She peeped.

 

Liam’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Despite his apparent dedication to remaining aloof, he couldn’t resist bragging to Vicky. Leaning forward, his fingers excitedly scrapped against the table, fangs flashing as he smiled.

 

“We finished a photo shoot yesterday with Vogue Vampires which was pretty great. Everyone reads online nowadays, so everyone’s talking about how no one has read the article that goes with it. Wardrobe was amazing too of course. It really has the late 2010s sexualized generic pop artist to it, so we really stand out next to all the popular bands that dress like independents now,” Liam ran a hand through his hair.

 

“That’s great for you Liam. You know I love your music,” Vicky's bolts sparked as she got distracted, “And your hair. It looks so shiny today. I love the bob, who did it?”

 

“Me and a pair of scissors,” Liam leaned in.

 

“Shiny!” Vicky squeaked again, reaching out with her hand to run it through her fingers.

 

Brian frowned as she moved away from him. A second ago he had entranced everyone with just a couple of sentences, a slam dunk if he was dealing with anyone else. But Vicky’s short attention span made Liam equally if not more interesting in her eyes.

 

Their waiter finally came around and the group was able to put in their orders. The waitress gushed once she realized she was talking to the owner, and Brian looked very pointedly at Vicky. But she was still gushing over Liam and managed to turn her five seconds fangirling over his hair into a straight on five-minute conversation.

 

“It’s definitely a wig,” Amira bet.

 

“It is not,” Liam looked offended.

 

“It smells like happiness!” Vicky cooed. Liam turned a darker shade of purple.

 

“ . . . . It’s longer than last time?” Brian struggled to jump in.

 

Scott was surprisingly quiet. As Amira turned her attention back towards him, she found him looking squarely at her. His soft smile was the same as always, but his blue eyes had gotten incredibly intense. He glanced at Titania before his eyes drifted back to her suggestively, and Amira felt her hair flair up as her insides turned to mush. For a second she forgot herself, and in the five seconds it took for her to remember that today was just a quick experiment from the normal, two things happened.

 

One, Amira felt a deep longing. A longing for the ability to break out of the unrestrained “passion” she was used to. She hadn’t even spent half a day with Scott and her body felt more on fire than it ever did alone. Of course, there was a reason everything that happened so far was still fundamentally different than anything social she’d seen Scott do on a tape. He’d never seemed frustrated or quiet when he was by himself, but she was here this time.

 

Two, as Amira’s mood drastically dipped, she found the streamlined angst bubbling in her chest interrupted by an incredible pressure. Scott’s hand slithered under her shirt below the table and pressed against her navel. The mark on her neck flared with warmth and her insides twisted and the urge to rub her legs together became almost unbearable.

 

Five seconds passed where Liam, Brian and Vicky seemed to forget the two were there. Or maybe it was the other way around. Scott’s little smile wasn’t ungenuine, but it was shadowed by a dark look in his eyes that definitely didn’t belong in public. Even though it excited her, Amira couldn’t help but think once again that he was only ever like this when she was there. He was only ever like Howl when she forgot this was an experiment. 

 

Amira didn’t know why she started staring at him. It wasn’t like his face was going to split in two, transforming into the same dopey smile she’d seen early in the morning. Not while she was here.

 

**BOOM.**

 

Amira started and Scott’s hand clenched around her stomach. His nails quickly morphed into claws that dug into her skin, and Amira blushed as a deep growl worked it’s way up his throat. 

 

Brian tensed too, his hands in a half chopping motions as if getting ready to strike, but Vicky was laughing hysterically. Clapping her hands, she hopped in her seat, eyes on Liam.

 

“Do it again! Do it again!” She commanded.

 

Grinning, Liam twirled his gun in his hand, looking up at the hole he left in the ceiling.

 

“Nah, I don’t think this old place can take any more damage,” Liam held out the weapon, “But you can touch it if you want. It’s the same one from high school remember? Damien was trying to style hair and he needed a little motivation so ---”

 

“You shot me! I remember,” Vicky giggled, taking the pistol.

 

Monster frantically ran out of the restaurant, giving their table a wide berth. Brian faltered, his face turning an angry flush, caught halfway between yelling at Liam and trying to stay on Vicky’s good side.

 

“You like this?” He grunted.

 

“I like chaos,” Vicky giggled, looking down the barrel .

 

Liam looked smug with victory as Vicky scooted closer to him. Brian stared, speechless. But that wasn’t important. Scott looked  _ pissed _ .

 

The canines in his mouth grew as his ears pressed against his head, and Amira felt him start to instinctively pull her closer to him. Bile rose up in Amira’s throat as it all became to much and she shoved him away from her.

 

“I have to go,” Amira blurted out.

 

Before anyone could say anything, she ran towards the exit along with the rest of the crowd. Scott shouted above the panicked murmur of the crowd, but Amira kept her head down to where her scent would mingle with everyone else's, and he couldn’t single her out. 

 

Amira didn’t know why he sounded so surprised. It always ended this way.


	6. The Ball Is In Your Court Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam debates with himself.

_Wow, what a total non-surprise._

 

Liam watched Amira’s back disappear out the door as Scott frantically leaped up from the table. He sneered. Of course, why would Amira leaving him for what had to be the twelfth time change Scott’s feelings?

 

Something tired and very old swallows up the immature urge to immediately start trashing Amira. That was the thing about being a vampire. Liam was ancient and embryonic at the same time. Jaded and hopeful. Cautious and ambitious. That’s how he got here in the first place.

 

Vicky hasn’t quite realized what’s happened yet, the sweet girl. She’s halfway in his lap, trying to get a good look at his gun. He can’t believe he ever shot her. Yeah, he wasn’t stupidly, hopelessly in love with her back then, but Vicky’s wide-eyed innocence juxtaposed by her desire to constantly experience adrenaline not matter the cost was something that he always noticed. It’s undeniably adorable.

 

Brian doesn’t seem to agree. Splitting his gaze between Scott as he runs after Amira and his girlfriend, Brian hesitates. Liam can see a confused, unnerved gleam that he definitely hasn’t earned.

 

‘Don’t you work in Hell?’ Liam mouths at him.

 

Brian glares back and runs after Scott. Not just like Amira, but enough. God, Liam hated ingenuine people.

 

As much as Amira like to pretend he was some sort of jackass for “not caring about his friend’s happiness”, she seemed to care even less. Sure she wasn’t insulting Scott, but that’s because he didn’t constantly bum her for expensive drinks and use him for endless sex. The brief seconds Scott seemed to fool himself into thinking she would stay didn’t seem worth the fallout afterward. The only reason people believed in letting others continue in unhealthy relationships was that they were one, afraid of confrontation and two, thought that letting their friends suffer through trash treatment was some moral high ground. Interjecting with a well-founded concern was somehow worse than letting a practical stranger shit on your friend.

 

That was really it. Amira was such a stranger. It wasn’t for lack of trying that Liam had no idea what was up with her. There were plenty of mortals that Liam thought he knew fairly well despite spending little time with them. While he always considered Miranda a friend, he saw her significantly less than everyone else.

 

Still, though, he got a pretty good read of her. Privileged, entitled, a little lazy, consumptive and completely clueless until she turned horrifyingly vicious. He had centuries to perfect his ability to read people.

 

With Amira though, there was just nothing there. He had studied her a billion times, looked for idiosyncrasies, but she was almost creepily bare bones. Liam didn’t think he’d seen anything like it. But Amira had no special quirks. Her eyes didn’t immediately flick to the most expensive alcohol like Miranda. She didn't walk with the posture unique to natives of Hell, which Liam noticed Damien had before he and Liam even talked for the first time. Seeing her in a bar was like watching a robot. She just drank.

 

The bar thing was especially infuriating. He could tell things from places too, from their connotations in society, from the history around their architecture. But the only places Amira ever went out to were bars and cheap clubs. She drunk expensive alcohol and tricked Scott whenever things didn’t work out for her.

 

“Liam?”

 

If Scott lost his career for her Liam was going to turn over his shite, a coined he termed for flipping his shit using American torture methods for the 17th century. Maybe he was being a little protective, but he hadn’t met anyone like Scott ever. Like at all.

 

“Liam you’re hurting me.”

 

Liam snapped to. Well, there was one other person.

 

Vicky winced as Liam’s arm shoved itself under her rib cage is it wrapped around her. The frankenstein squirmed, trying to get away from his vampiric strength. Liam immediately forced himself to loosen up.

 

 "Are you okay?" He looked at her stomach.

 

 She coughed, "Yeah, geez, what's up with you?"

 

 Her voice isn't accusatory, but there's enough confused innocence in it that Liam feels like shit. Vicky's voice is high pitched and sweet. He forces his face to stiffen.

 

 _For what? She's fine._ Liam tries to keep his thoughts uninterested and neutral. It works for about half a second until her smile comes back and Liam's insides melt. 

 

“I’m going to go powder my nose,” Liam announced, looking away from her face, “Keep the gun.”

 

Before she could say anything, Liam hovered out of his seat and quickly hurried towards the bathroom. He refused to take back his thoughts about Amira, but could he really act so old and aloof? His entire thing with Vicky was the sort of mess you expected from a human teenager.

 

He caught a glimpse at his slick bob and iconoclast style clothing in a mirror. Modern mirrors were one thing he liked -- no silver backing. His reflection reminded him he was in a band. 

 

_Relationship bullshit and music. When did I become so mainstream?_

 

Liam lets the thought drift in his head, waiting for the old feeling of maturity that came with disdain. But the feeling that he actually gets isn’t old in the accustomed sense. Once again, it’s just sort of tired.

 

Vicky was never tired. When Liam first picked up on it, he brushed it off. Of course, she was easily impressed. She was young. Just look at her eyes!

 

As his time with her grew, Liam did just that more and more. Until they both drifted into mindless conversation and Liam found out just how old all of Vicky’s animated parts were. She was older than him.

 

By **a lot.**

 

Liam didn’t know how she could be so energetic. Besides his apathetic malaise, Liam was almost constantly tired. Being undead was exhausting, and his only means of forgetting about it was quickly slipping.

 

_A man realizing his aloof behavior is just him being a jackass and has no real insight? How cliche._

 

Liam waits again, for the same smug feeling of satisfaction at such an insightful analysis. But it doesn’t come.

 

 _I got so distracted by Scott I basically squeezed the air out of her. When did I start giving a shit?_ Liam relents and lets some actual substance crawls into his head.

 

Over and over, from century to century, Liam could rely on the fact that he knew more than everyone else, and that everyone was falling into patterns he had already observed for decades. Which was why he nipped this whole Vicky thing in the bud a long time ago. His relationships with blissfully brief, passionate but short, like a flash in the pan. When he told Vicky actually being in a relationship with her was too mainstream it wasn’t really anything special.

 

He had felt the same things he felt about Vicky for dozens of young men and women throughout the years. The only difference was that the smug sense of knowing he was being smart just wasn’t . . . there.

 

Vicky wasn’t there either. She started seeing Brian so much that she barely lived in the house anymore.

 

Liam grits his teeth, trying not to bare his fangs. Fucking Brian. If there was ever a person Liam hated more than Amira it was Brian.

 

Amira knew who she was. She just forgot and came back until she reminded herself. It was something that left Scott broken and confused when he was sifting through the scrambles of his football career, but it was honest. She never tried to lie or abuse Scott into thinking her flightiness was Scott’s fault.

 

Brian was different.

 

He was cool until Vicky did something he didn’t expect. Then the **zombie who worked in Hell** looked at Vicky like she lost her mind. Like the gun thing. He literally shot people on a daily basis, what was so weird about firing off one in a restaurant? Liam had seen him out on the town with Damien whenever the demon was trying to get over his crush on the rest of the Triumvirate (something that was pretty easy to pick up on).  He’d run javelins through waitresses. Did people know how much effort it took to ram a blade through a torso? A shit ton more than a gun.

 

But Brian was the young captain of the guard, he owned a restaurant in his free time, he had a commanding voice. Him being skeptical was barely a flaw when he didn’t have any others. All the times Liam watched him cut in and stop Vicky from doing something wild and overlooked her subsequent disappointment at having her feelings dismissed by a guy who thought he knew better apparently didn’t matter. 

 

Liam suddenly wondered if he was perhaps, being a little ironic, but that couldn’t be true. The entire premise of his band relied on the fact that their songs were incredibly blatant to an unbearably honest degree 24/7.

 

_Holy shit I’m unbearable, aren’t I?_

 

Liam swallowed a yawn -- anticlimactic considering what he was thinking. But the realization came with a wave of exhaustion. A mephit and a centaur stared at him as they left.

 

When did this happen? Wasn’t he happily indulging in Michelangelo's paintings while letting the painter pin him in a puddle of azulene watercolors a few days ago? He enjoyed these games too, didn’t he? He was overt about it too. Vicky knew who he was. He didn't lie to her like Amira. He didn't make her feel guilty about seeing Brian, because to stake a jealous claim on her would be to lie and say he acted like a proper boyfriend.

 

Maybe he felt that way.

 

_. . ._

 

_I can't judge Amira at all can I? Shit._

 

Couldn't he though? His points about her didn’t just go away. She definitely had commitment issues, with no substance. Wouldn’t letting it go be platitudinous? Realizing he might be as bad as Amira didn't mean Amira wasn't bad. It just meant they were equally shitty.

 

Liam drifted out of the bathroom, not quite sure where he was going. He needed to think.

 

“Liam?” Vicky peeped.

 

Liam turned, the tip of his shoe squeaking against the floor as he twirled around. Vicky jumped back, and Liam realized he must still be snarling.

 

“Vicky,” Liam exclaimed, tongue-tied, “Your body, it’s fine?”

 

Vicky pouted. Her big blue eyes seemed to get bigger, and her tiny breasts seemed to lift as she tilted her chin. Wait, was he staring at her chest? He had just squeeze the Hell out of her a couple of minutes ago, what was wrong with him?

 

“Yes, why’d you go?” She prodded.

 

God, she was so pretty. Her wavy curls looked like ink, with a striking white strike that made her stand out from any crowd. He wanted to run his hands through it. Liam swallowed hard.  

 

“Practicing my apology,” He stumbled, “Very sorry.”

 

Something foreign filled his nose. It wasn’t her perfume. It was something more metallic and pungent. It was electric. Salty. Like blood. Liam’s mouth felt dry.

 

Vicky’s eyebrows shot up as something behind her eyes clicked, “When’s the last time you drank Liam?”

 

Liam blinked hard, “What?”

 

He had been spending so much time trying to cock block Brian that he had kind of forgone everything else. For a second he didn’t even register what Vicky was asking.

 

Her entire demeanor shifted. Her posture went from eager and a little impatient to something a little more . . . seeking. She stepped forward and put a hand on his chest. A few hundred years of propriety faded away as his chest surged under her fingertips. A loud heartbeat started pounding in his ears as they instinctively quirked forward. _Vicky's_ heartbeat.

 

“There’s no one else he-re,” Vicky singsonged, daringly tossing her neck back.

 

A faint vein on Vicky’s neck trailing down past her collarbone towards her breast jumped out at Liam.

 

 _Holy shit._ Liam’s pants immediately felt too tight as his mouth watered. Vicky sounded less like she was offering his a chance to suck her blood and more like she was trying out a new dare. A table right behind Vicky suddenly became very clear to Liam, and wow she was already shimmying her pants down.

 

 _Brian would never._ A thought that immediately made the thought of making love to Vicky right here even more appealing. The fact that they were in a public place wasn’t changed by how empty the restaurant was right now.

 

 _Brian’s restaurant._ Liam started to seriously question what was wrong with him as his dick throbbed.

 

When did this become their dynamic? Liam was pretty sure this whole this started out with a couple of sporadic dates and him holding all the emotional cards. He wasn’t even that _surprised,_  just confused. He had a sudden urge to run. At the same time, he really wanted to stay with Vicky.

 

Kind of like Amira.

 

. . .

 

“I have to go,”  Liam blurted out, soaring backward.

 

Before Vicky could say anything else, Liam transformed into a bat and shot out the front door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys could give me your impression of Liam in this chapter, that would be great. I'm going for a certain characterization and I'm not sure if I' nailing it.


	7. Two Shitty People Walk Into An Alleyway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam tries to get some answers.

Amira sounded hysterical.

 

Liam slowly inched up to her, extremely uncomfortable. If she was just crying, he might just roll his eyes and go back to Brain’s restaurant. Considering what Vicky wanted to do, it was a far more appealing offer. Amira, in his mind, didn’t have the right to be sad. Not when she created the same scene with Scott over and over again.

 

But Amira wasn’t just crying.

 

Liam watched her stumble from his perch, her wild sobbing only eclipsed by a series of hard coughs broken up by wheezing. She fidgeted wildly, shifting around on the floor and getting up before deciding to sit back down. Good God.

 

Liam knew better than to assume she was being a drama queen. He had seen panic attacks before, but this was something else. Before he could stop himself, he flew from his perch under the alleyway piping and transformed back into himself as he landed behind her.

 

 

Amira jumped, flames exploding over her body as her pupils shrank. Instinctively, Liam bared his fangs, before remembering that he had just found her in a puddle of garbage water.

 

“Do you need me to call someone for you?” Liam offered softly.

 

Amira shuddered, something dribbling from her lips. Liam slowly shifted his eyes behind her and at the clump of vomit in the alley’s corner.

 

Liam slowly sank to his knees, letting his hands go limp as he raised them above his head. The rise and fall of Amira’s chest started to slow, and the flames licking at her skin dissipated. An embarrassed flush took over her face as she pressed the back of her head against the wall behind her. She raised a shuddering hand to the mark on her neck.

 

This definitely isn't turning out how Liam expected it at all. A couple of minutes ago he had tracked Amira down using his superior sense of smell, having prepared himself to have an awkward conversation about how her feelings about Scott seemed to contradict her actions. Something that was starting to feel way too familiar for him.

 

Now though?

 

“I’m calling an ambulance for you,” Liam sat all the way down, hand slowly creeping for his pocket.

 

“No!” Amira snapped, sounding horrified, “A human hospital? Are you serious?”

 

Liam furrowed his brow, “Yes, the Western world has some of the greatest medical advances --”

 

“Have you been paying attention to the news jackass?” Amira started to shake again.

 

“Okay, okay, no hospital,” Liam literally tossed his phone to the side.

 

Liam hadn’t been sick it what had to be forever. He didn’t exactly catch things, on account of being a corpse. And it wasn’t as if a hospital could cure being dead. Not that Liam wanted a cure.

 

He glanced at Amira’s cast, which was still smouldering. There didn’t seem to be any cracks in it, and considering Amira’s mental state, he didn’t want to risk bringing in medics if he didn’t have to.

 

“Didn’t you get yourself looked at in a hospital?”

 

Amira’s face softens, “I’m pretty sure it was his private doctor actually. I’ve been with human medics before. Whoever helped me was much more gentle.”

 

“What do you mean by gentle?” Liam prodded.

 

Amira made a face at him, “Are you serious? Aren’t you the social justice warrior?”

 

A faint memory rose to the surface of Liam’s mind, “I’ve spent most of my time in Hell lately, but I do remember something about supernatural paranoia.”

 

Amira stared at him.

 

Liam narrowed his eyes, “Am I missing something?”

 

Amira raised her casted arm just slight, “The entire reason I’m with Scott is that a bunch of stuck up, bratty human bitches tried to ward the house against me and basically convinced the landlord to literally throw me out. Why do you think my arm is in a cast?”

 

Liam stuttered. Scott hadn’t been all that revealing when he started missing work. But that had been par for the course, considering the last few months. Scott had closed himself up, understandably, after the accident. Liam hadn’t pried. He was actually a bit worried that Scott had gone into a depressive spell until one of the Wolfpack spilt that he had Amira resting up in his house.

 

Liam had sort of assumed that she had fucked herself up backflipping off a bar or something.

 

Amira read his mind, “You thought I did something stupid didn’t you?”

 

Liam crossed his arms, embarrassed, “Well I was just guessing from experience.”

 

Amira scowled at him, eyes red, “God you’re so rude. I don’t know why Vicky likes you.”

 

Liam stiffened, and his mouth opened as he got ready to bare his fangs again. As Amira tensed, Liam couldn’t help but immediately think how they had gone through this already about a thousand times.

 

The same old, tired feeling from inside the restaurant returned. Liam closed his mouth with a sigh, his uncertainty creeping from his head into his voice.

 

“I don’t know either,” Liam slumped against the wall, looking up at the sky.

 

“Huh?” Amira paused.

 

“I can’t tell,” Liam stuttered, “I can’t tell if Vicky likes me or a vampire.”

 

“I’m listening?” Amira sounded like she was trying to figure out if he was messing with her.

 

“I don’t understand her honestly,” He looked at his reflection, “I’ve always justified the way I am as a logical response to being on this Earth for hundreds of years. But the sum of Vicky’s literal parts is so much older. She’s so different from me, so vibrant. And I can’t tell if I’m a part of keeping that up. I think I might just be an experiment for her."

 

“Why don’t you just ask her?” Amira slowly asked.

 

Liam made a face, “I can’t emote.”

 

Amira’s voice dropped into a tone that was much more familiar, “You can’t or you don’t want to?”

 

Liam hissed softly, “Don’t judge me.”

 

“You’re the one that started spilling his guts,” Amira held up her hands.

 

Liam pointed to her vomit, “You’re the one that literally spilt her guts.”

 

Liam regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Amira flared, her hair going white hot before it shot back down into a small wisp.

 

Liam forced himself to scoot forward, “Look, I’m sorry. We might not be able to bring you to a human hospital but I sure there’s still someone we could call.”

 

Amira shook her head, hands now covering her face, “It’s just Scott. The only person I have is Scott. All of my old friends are busy. I was so excited when Vicky started talking to me again and began dating Brian because I thought things may be the same again but they’re not. This dumb love triangle bullshit has changed everything.”

 

“I’m sorry?” Liam just didn’t want her to start crying.

 

“No, I don’t mean it that way,” Amira looked to the side, “Everyone’s falling in love. Everyone is so grown up. They know what they’re doing, they’re so fulfilled. And . . .”

 

Amira lifted her head just slightly so she could stare at her palms. Liam gave a little sigh of relief when he saw her eyes were dry. He didn’t think he could deal with any more emotions today.

 

“I tried so hard. I got a job, and I got a house, and I tried to date Scott. I did, then,” She touched her neck.

 

Liam looked away, “Amira, I think you need to take a couple of minutes to yourself. If you weren’t on your knees a couple of minutes ago, I don’t think you would be telling me this. You’re going to regret it.”

 

Amira clammed up. Liam’s first, awkward instinct was to start asking her what he had come here to ask. But he figured that was going to be a pretty awkward follow up to what he’d just asked her to do.

 

He was off his game. Amira wasn’t “even more boring” that he first thought. He had miscalculated. Liam hadn’t known any of this, and now he was feeling almost as flustered as when he’d left Vicky behind.

 

Vicky, Vicky, Vicky.

 

“Wait,” He blurted out before Amira could suggest something else, “If you’re so indecisive, why do you keep coming back?”

 

He thought about Vicky inviting him to stay in Brian’s restaurant, and all the weird centuries old feelings he went through when he looked into her eyes. The urge to run from the potentially mundane and his fading nonchalance paired with the juxtaposition of wanting to stay.

 

Amira’s eyes softened, “Because it’s so fucking great. Scott’s the best.”

 

“You don’t act like it,” Liam, despite his need for answers, can’t help but snap.

 

Scott was like a second Vicky, one he didn’t have stupid overly complicated feelings about. Scott was the rare, nice kind of predictable. A rare shining light he always searched for in the back of his mind during each new iteration of his life.

 

“That’s because,” Amira bit her lip, swallowing a wheeze, “I don’t think I love him.”

 

Liam leaned back, grimly triumphant, “I knew it.”

 

Amira scowled, “You know you’re sending a lot of mixed signals. I don’t want you to freak out Amira, we should call someone. What’s wrong with you Amira? This is what’s wrong with me Amira. Shut up Amira. Why do you like Scott, Amira?”

 

Liam almost shouted. He didn't have any trouble finding words. When he first hears them start to come out of his mouth, they’re a little too loud. Amira flinched, almost in anticipation.

 

“What’s even the vibe right now?” He forced his voice to lower. They had been starting to get somewhere.

 

“I can’t help being a bit all over the place,” He excused, “ This is a lot Amira. After so many years of wondering, it’s satisfying to know --”

 

“That you were right?” Amira sounded like she was going to cry, “It’s not like I don’t want to be in love with Scott. I love being with him. But I know what love sounds like, and this thing we have, it’s all wrong.”

 

Liam made a face, “What?”

 

“I don’t feel happy like that,” Amira said flatly, “I don’t feel like I’m floating on clouds. I don’t feel calm. I feel exhilarated and comforted, but bourbon does that too. It’s not special just because it comes from looking at a person. I don’t feel like ‘I don’t care what happens as long as we have each other’. What if I drag all my old bullshit into his life and ruin it? I couldn’t be with him then. How can you be with someone whose life you messed up?”

 

Amira looked at her hands, “I used to disappoint him so much when we were really dating. He’d do so much to try and please me and nothing would work. He’d put something in my hand, hoping it would raise my spirits or get some sort of reaction, but I wouldn’t feel anything. Half the time he had something important I’d sleep the day away. I just couldn’t find the same energy he seems to have for, I don’t know, everything? Love doesn’t wane like that. You shouldn’t feel exhausted being around someone you’re in love with.”

 

Liam worked his jaw.

 

“ . . . Shit.”

 

He closed his eyes.

 

“What?” Amira interrupted his thoughts, scooting back, “What, are you going to attack me for not listening to you? If you really feel so weird about it we can just pretend like this never happened.”

 

“Amira you’re depressed.”

 

Amira blinked, “Huh?”

 

Experience. Liam has so much experience. This was shameful. He really was off his game. So far off. Wasn’t he supposed to be the expert on this? The person people go to when they’re melancholy? The expert on gloomy emotions? He was pretty sure he prided himself on that, in a real, genuine way.

 

“Your complete lack of characterization in everything you do. The persistent drinking, not with a preference or a desire to really be with your friends who you barely talk to. Boring partying, no favourite drug. Just being loud and overcompensating. Have you just been going through motions since high school?”

 

Amira stood up, pressing her shoulders to the wall, “What are you talking about? I’m not sad.”

 

Liam’s ears pressed to the side of his head, more annoyed than ever. Everything about today was a mess. He had come after Amira hoping to get more answers concerning Vicky, and it had spiralled into this.

 

“You’ve got to expand your horizons Amira,” Liam looks up, trying to make meeting Amira’s eyes as unlikely as physically possible. He already felt way too vulnerable during this entire thing. If he connected with Amira one more time she might figure out he didn’t feel as nearly nonchalant as he looked.

 

“There are so many ways to be miserable. It’s not all tears and shuddering. The entire basis for depression being bad isn’t that it makes you cry. It’s that you’re never happy. Are you happy?” He prods.

 

Amira pales, the flames on her skull faltering, “I want to see Scott.”

 

“Amira, I think you need to talk about this,” Liam insists, his own words echoing in his head in the tone of a thousand different concerned friends he’d managed to make over the countless words.

 

“So now you want to talk?” Amira warbles.

 

_“I JUST WANT PEOPLE LIKE SCOTT AND VICKY TO BE HAPPY!”_

 

Amira’s shoulders jerk back against the brick as she flinches. Liam grimaced, feeling worse than when left the restaurant.

 

“I’ll call Scott.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This instalment took a while, mostly because I was trying to get the tone right. Please tell me how I did with some feedback!


	8. A Kind Of Celibacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott starts to get through to Amira.

 

 

 

“Miry, look at me.”

 

“. . . “

 

 _“Miry_ _.”_

 

Amira jumped and Scott flinched. She heard him stutter out the beginning of the apology as she decided to bury her face deeper in his chest. His voice tapered off into a frustrated grunt as he saw she wasn’t going to say anything. Her gut churned as she imagined the angry crease in his brow, something she only saw when she was around.

 

“I don’t think it’s fair that you can ignore me and grab onto me at the same time,” Scott barked.

 

Amira’s heart stopped, surprised at his tone. Then, after a couple seconds of reflection, it sped ahead in recognition. Of course, Scott would get irritated with her eventually.

 

_“Listen to me!”_

 

Scott’s snarl is so guttural Amira practically jumps off him. Her arm jerked in its cast, but she was too scared to wince. The blankets bunch up behind her as Scott’s chest heaves. Shakily, she raises a hand to her chest, the flames on her head flickering anxiously. Scott winces and rubs at his eyes, but his pupils don’t un-narrow. He pinches the bridge of his nose, newly formed claws scratching at the edges of his eyes.

 

_Did I . . ._

 

“No Amira, this isn’t you. I mean,” Scott barks, reading her mind, “Frustrating.”

 

Amira frowns, confused, “What?”

 

“You Amira, geez!” He steps out of bed, breathing slowly.

 

Amira watched wide-eyed as he began to pace around the bed. She always felt that this was coming, but now that it was here, Amira felt petrified. Despite wanting to end her relationship with Scott before she dragged him down with her, actually facing it’s finish turned her body to stone.

 

“Didn’t I just,” Scott stopped himself before he could finish, inching towards her.

 

Amira scooted back into the pillows, mouth dry. He stared at her, but the usual moony quality to his eyes wasn’t there.

 

“Amira, what do you think of me?” He finally asked after what seemed like forever.

 

 _This is going to take me down._ Amira breathes. She knew she deserved this, but she thought Scott might be a little more gentle than making her blurt out all the reasons she had grown attached before finally throwing her out.

 

He hovered closer until their breaths tickled each other’s faces. Amira’s heartbeat took a break from speeding forward to skip a beat as she imagined Scott spitting on her.

 

“Because I think I’m a doofy airhead, that managed to tear both of his ACLs because he wasn’t paying attention, mess up all his butt sniffing relationships, can’t remember work and constantly tries to avoid confrontation with sex,” He suddenly huffed.

 

“What?” Amira choked, completely surprised, “Scott what are you talking about?”

 

“I’m talking about me Amira! Who are you talking about?” He stuttered, “I feel like what Liam said about you --”

 

“Don’t,” Amira did not feel like hearing the d-word again today.

 

“I feel like it’s given you a really terrible idea of us, and me. Terrible like good kind of but also bad?” Scott struggled, “Amira you know I’m not a perfect person.”

 

Amira’s cheeks felt warm as he watched her lips, “I’m pretty sure you are Scott. All I do is drink, party and leave you.”

 

He lifted his thumb to cradle her face, “From what you said earlier it sounds like you love me.”

 

Amira remembered Scott carrying her back into the house, and the flurry of panicked words she had lodged at him in a desperate attempt to let her stay after Liam told him he had found her panicking in an alleyway. Up until they had crossed the threshold, Amira promised that it was it. That she would break it off.

 

Then she had looked into Scott’s eyes. His rarely focused, baby blue eyes she was used to seeing pool with kindness and pure joy, screamed “we’re going to have a real talk”.

 

Amira felt a strange warm writhe inside of her. It untangled the ball of terror she felt when she thought Scott was about to leave her for good, but it felt foreign compared to the strange apathy that she had gotten used to. Despite Scott listening when she veered away from Liam’s “diagnosis”, she felt like they were closer than ever. She also strangely felt closer to Scott than ever before. The version of Scott she liked to keep in her head where he was actually her boyfriend anyway.

 

“I’m pretty sure it’s just the first three,” Amira laughed wryly, making the same mistake she had when she came back inside the house.

 

Scott’s baby blue irises were so hypnotizing when he wasn’t necessarily thinking. Like a warm, clear summer lake. Her hair continued to dance on top her scalp, not unlike the warmth inside her chest. Scott was so close. She could drown it. She could drown the foreign flames that couldn’t seem to decide if they wanted her to feel good or bad like she always did when Scott was around. It was easy to forget things with him. Before he remembered he was trying to “get down to business” and he changed his gaze again.

 

Amira closed the distance between them. Scott let out a surprised noise as she looped her arms around his neck, feeling the surprised O of his mouth. Amira sucked his lower lip into her mouth and nibbled, groaning softly as Scott’s giant presence shadowed her like an invisible blanket. The weird, confrontational heat died almost immediately. Amira heard his tail start to beat wildly against his pants.

 

Scott groaned, his hand going from cupping her face to holding it tightly. His knee lifted to brush against her side as he climbed into bed. Amira slid down the side of the pillows until she was laying on the covers, Scott looming over her. His other hand shifted to the mark on her neck. Amira immediately moaned as he traced it.

 

Scott grimaced, face immediately going flush. He jerked his hand away to claw at his chest.

 

“Miry, no,” He whined, rolling to the side to sit awkwardly upright, “Don’t distract me like that, you’re too pretty.”

 

Amira swallowed hard, trying not to rub her legs together, “I’m not trying to distract you. It’s just when I look into your eyes, it’s you, but it’s so calming. I just have this impulse to be as close to it as possible.”

 

“My therapist says whenever I get sad I have an impulse to have sex because it gives me an instant feeling of euphoria and I never had to deal with actually being sad growing up because my life was so awesome,” Scott blurted out, “Whenever I called you up, to go to a bar or whatever. I knew you wanted to have sex more than a relationship after we tried the first time, and I wanted to change that, but I couldn’t help myself.”

 

“You have a therapist?” Amira asked, surprised.

 

Scott frowned, “Yeah Miry, messing up my career in five seconds kind of shook me up.”

 

Amira blinked. She always imagined that Scott had just, well, she didn’t quite know what she imagined Scott would be like after he basically got fired. But she always thought it had something to do with just being happy at literally anything else. That was Scott’s way.

 

“But that wasn’t your fault Scott,” Amira argued.

 

Scott rolled his eyes, “Amira I jolted to a stop in the middle of a charge going thirty miles an hour down the field to look at a squirrel climbing the stadium rails after skipping stretches to roll around in the team’s dirty jerseys.”

 

Amira stared. She just couldn’t digest it.

 

“Amira,” He grabbed her shoulders, “Listen to me. I’m not the goodest boy okay? You obviously need to see my therapist too --”

 

“Doctor?” Amira immediately recoiled.

 

Scott’s hands drifted towards her hips in a half hug, “Not a human Miry I promise. Not a doctor doctor either! He has a doctorate though.”

 

“No,” Amira closed her eyes, trying to remember Scott’s happy gaze again.

 

“Amira I don’t think we can work without it,” He begged, “Please.”

 

As his voice broke, so did Amira’s ability to ignore him. She cracked an eye open an was hit with his happy blues, glinting with the same shining sadness they had when he asked why she didn’t love him.

 

“Once,” She relented.

 

“That’s not enough,” Scott interrupted himself, squirming.

 

Amira leaned over, worried he might actually cry, “What is it?”

 

“I’m just,” Scott stiffly stood up, “Sad. Fuck, I have to . . .”

 

Amira’s brown furrowed until he stood up. Her hand flew to the zipper of her pants as she saw the impressive bulge protruding from his crotch.

 

“Scott,” She whispered, feeling herself clench.

 

He darted away faster than Amira could reach over, disappearing into the bathroom.

 

The doors bounced against the wall as Scott disappeared from sight. Amira twitched indecisively as she waited. Scott had to be . . . taking care of himself, right? She didn’t hear anything.

 

Slowly, she stood up from the bed. Her legs felt weak as her feet touched the floor. She hadn’t expected any of this. For the time being, she lived here, so she couldn’t leave. Her cast weighed against her hips. Should she just, go into the kitchen?

 

Amira took a step towards the open doors, not sure what she would see past them. Scott’s bed was back against the wall, so she couldn’t see inside them yet. Amira could just rush past and get lost in Scott’s giant house.

 

She took another step as she heard a breathy groan, and the bite on her neck ached. Amira lifted a hand to her stomach as it twisted. She remembered a small room she had seen when Scott ushered her in here. Did he want her to leave? It sounded like he was coming back soon. Better safe than sorry, she made a sharp turn and began to speed walk past them.

 

_“Amira.”_

 

Amira spasmed involuntarily, and against all better judgment, turned her head. Fingers digging into the door, she watched Scott’s thighs twitch as he braced himself above the toilet. Built into a tiny alcove next to the shower, the toilet looked like it was supposed to be semi-private. But there was nothing discreet about how his claws dug into the walls.

 

His chest heaved as he stared at a spot on the floor, sweat gathering under his armpits. Amira swallowed hard and tried to focus above his waist, but it seemed almost as filthy. Despite not taking off any of his clothes or making a move to touch himself, Scott’s stare was heady. His growing fangs gnawed into his bottom lip like he regretted saying her name

 

Amira cleared her throat, “Are you going to --”

 

“Don’t,” Scott panted, a thread of drool slipping past his lips.

 

His shoulders bunched up as he readjusted his hands. Amira vaguely registered that this was her chance to keep walking, that Scott hadn’t meant to get her attention.

 

“Not supposed to do this when I’m sad,” He could barely string his words together, “Instead of fixing the thing that made me sad.”

 

“So you’re just going to?” She trailed off.

 

“Wait,” He confirmed.

 

Amira’s eyes disobediently kept dipping down. First, it was his belly button, then it was the curl of hairs right under it.

 

“So,” She started.

 

“Can’t answer Amira,” He whined.

 

His intense stare was so enticing, but she could only see a bit of it. The blue had gotten darker, but not like it did when he “got serious”. Her desire to stare into it kept her rooted to the spot.

 

“We could fix it,” She said slowly.

 

“What?” Scott breathed, tail wagging out of control.

 

“I’ll go to three sessions,” Amira relented, inching a toe inside the bathroom.

 

Scott’s shoulders relaxed just slightly, and hope inched into his voice, “That’s . . . a good start.”

 

Amira admired Scott’s abs as his breathing slowed. Her heart beat faster as the mark on her neck throbbed. Events from the morning felt like they happened only a few seconds ago. She remembered the uncomfortable feeling when she stepped into the shower, wishing she could have Scott’s cock.

 

Scott bristled, “Go. Smell.”

 

Amira pressed her foot against the floor, distracted as she finally looked at him, “Huh?”

 

“I can smell you Amira,” Scott rolled his neck.

 

The button on his pants had come undone, and his engorged wolfhood had pushed down the zipper. It pressed against his stomach, angry and red. Amira could’ve sworn the vein running along it was throbbing along with the beat of her heart. Precum streamed from the top as Scott resisted the urge to touch himself. Amira whimpered softly as she looked at the spot where his knot usually formed. The skin there twitched just slightly.

 

“Pants too tight,” He shakily lowered a hand and pushed his jeans off his hips.

 

“Okay,” Amira said quietly, mouth feeling dry as she realized he wasn’t wearing boxers.

 

Scott’s hand hovered as if he was about to relent and stroke himself off. Then he turned sharply, and Amira’s view changed to his sweat-soaked back.

 

“We’re not ready for this,” Scott insisted again, clawing at the display towels on the toilet.

 

“Go,” He grunted again.

 

Amira whined complainingly, feeling very much like she wanted to go back into the bedroom.

 

“Don’t make that noise,” Scott’s tail slowed to a still, almost as if it was at attention. Like he was getting ready to pounce.

 

“You sound like you’re in heat,” He choked, “Like my **mate**. Go Amira.”

 

Amira felt like her feet had turned to lead. Somehow, she turned around, her desire to do what Scott wanted trumping her desire to walk closer. She heard Scott turn back around, and felt him grope her ass with his eyes, but she had already broken into a run. Scott’s harsh pants grew faint as her hip grazed the side of his bathroom door until she stumbled downstairs and into his living room.

 

Amira hugged herself, wiping at her forehead. There wasn’t any sweat, though she could’ve sworn she was dripping. Dizzily, she fell into one of Scott’s big armrests. The smell of him had sunk into it, and she instinctively ground the V of her legs into it.

 

Amira keened. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she forced herself to slow down and think. Something itched at her brain, and her arousal was quickly swallowed up by anxiety.

 

“Did I just _agree to go to therapy?_ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you could give me some character feedback that would be just grand.


	9. Snack Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Vicky run out for a snack.

There were a lot of things Liam was expecting after he made his way back to Vicky, but this certainly wasn’t one of them. What a delightful surprise.

 

Liam watched Vicky put down the last box out of the corner of his eye, the collar of the shirt she borrowed wrapped seductively around her neck. He started to offer to carry in everything for her, but when he saw how surprised she looked, Liam realized he was being too charitable.

 

_ No, you weren’t. _ He immediately scolded himself.  _ Don’t you want to move past this? _

 

After talking to Amira, Liam honestly wasn’t sure. In the twelfth hour, Liam realized just how similar they were, but he wasn’t able to get any answers. Though their problems intersected in many ways, he and Amira weren’t one in the same.

 

Liam grimaced, remembering how he found the dijin curled up in an alleyway. It was also pretty clear her coping mechanisms were much farther gone than his even came close to coming.

 

_ Is this my special Hell?  _ Liam couldn’t help but muse a little dramatically.  _ I’ve escaped death about a thousand times for thousands of years. Is this her punishment? To envelope me in eternal punishment in exchange for getting to walk the Earth? _

 

“Liam! Are we going to eat?” Vicky sing-songed, breaking his train of thought. 

 

Liam looked up as Vicky started rummaging through the cabinets. She was far too short to reach them from the floor, so she had to climb on the counter just to reach the bottom shelf. The corners of Liam’s mouth twitched. Adorable.

 

That was partly his fault. Not the fact that Vicky was adorable; the fact that she couldn’t reach the cabinets. 

 

His studio apartment penthouse was probably as artsy as they came. Partly because he had hovered over the constructor’s shoulders for the entirety of the building period, party because he destroyed everyone who was above him in Sucker’s ‘10 Hippest Apartment Series’. Literally, every other apartment in the complex was empty, an ironic twist on the shared living space market. The magazine had obviously made a mistake putting him at number 10.

 

There was also the little detail about The Coven asking him to help destroy the rest of the list because they were all party of an underground vampire syndicate kidnapping people to turn them into blood pudding. But if Liam had to admit he did anything else out of the good of his heart today while trying to figure out his feelings, he might explode.

 

“Liam, are you listening to me?”

 

Vicky looked back at him, her eyes bright. Liam’s unbeating heart melted more than just a bit, and he desperately wished he ate food so he could watch her stuff her face.

 

“I don’t have to eat remember?” Liam reminded her, “Now that you’re moving back in with me, we’re going to have to go grocery shopping.”

 

“Groceries!” Vicky cheered, immediately running towards the door.

 

“Slow down,” Liam couldn’t help but laugh, racing after her.

 

Liam listened to her footsteps dart past the entrances to the rest of the empty apartments as he zoomed after her. The smell of burnt rubber drifted up from the soles of her shoes, the bolts in her neck vibrating with charged electricity. She was awfully shipped for someone who had just been semi dumped.

 

Liam didn’t quite believe it when she called him up. After warbling something about Brian being worried what she might do with the weapons in his quarters after the gun incident, Liam pieced together that Brian had made the biggest mistake of his life.

 

Then Liam realized there was a huge chance he was about to do the same.

 

This would mean nothing if he couldn’t figure out what he was feeling. If Brian came crawling back weeks later and Liam was in the exact place with Vicky as he was now, she would go running.

 

_ Do I really want to change where we are now?  _ Liam slowed down as Vicky tagged the elevator. 

 

“Ha ha, first!” Vicky declared, slamming her hand down on the down button.

 

“You know Liam, I thought it was a little goofy when you told me this place was empty. But this would be a really cool place to skydive from,” Vicky bounced.

 

Liam drifted inside by her side, “I’ve never really thought of doing that kind of thing actually. I mostly just like the quiet. Artists need their peace you know?”

 

He flipped his hair as Vicky frowned, confused. Liam cleared her throat, remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

 

“I don’t even think this is high enough to skydive from,” He tried to start a real conversation, “You’d flop into the pavement before you could deploy your parachute.”

 

Vicky snorted, “Who cares? When you’re immortal, you just have to wait for your bones to snap back into place.”

 

Liam raised his eyebrows, “How do you even think of this?”

 

“Think of what?” Vicky tipped her head.

 

“All of your craziness,” Liam levitated towards the ceiling, “I get bored so easily.”

 

Vicky raised her eyebrows, “Really?”

 

“Yeah,” Liam swallowed, shutting down the impulse to say something shallow, “I try to switch careers whenever I move somewhere new, go to a different country every other decade, but everything still feels so old. The beginnings are nice though.”

 

“Well I hope we can both begin something nice together later if you catch my drift,” Vicky winked, tipping her neck towards him.

 

Liam turned purple as he blushed, looking away as Vicky carefully shook her butt. Of course, Vicky would turn it into a sex joke, but at least Liam had managed to say something substantial.

 

_ And . . . it wasn’t that bad.  _ Liam admitted to himself. Of course, it had only lasted for a couple of seconds, so it wasn’t that much of a litmus test.

 

Vicky looped their arms together as they stepped outside. Thoughts of domesticity immediately filled his mind as they caught the attention of a group of passing vampires. The group only walked a few more steps before splitting off in different directions, a bit of freedom that suddenly felt very much out of his grasp.

 

“I’m good,” Liam pulled away from Vicky, stuffing his hand back in his pocket.

 

Vicky drooped, and Liam automatically felt guilty. He opened his mouth to apologize, his discomfort immediately evaporating, but something else had already caught Vicky’s eye.

 

“It’s Oz, Damien, and Vera!” Vicky squealed.

 

She was so loud that the Triumvirate instantly turned towards them. Liam smiled just slightly as Oz stopped in their tracks and raced to embrace her. He didn’t miss how Vera tipped her head, the closest she came to public grinning that wasn't maniacal, or how Damien boldly watched Oz’s ass as their suit shifted.

 

Vera was surprisingly less form fitting than Liam was used to seeing. Her suit was more boxy than usual, giving her a masculine frame.

 

Damien was wearing a Roman-style tunic cut just above his nipples Liam had seen in vogue vampires along with a pair of spiked gladiator sandals and a matching necklace. Liam would’ve thought it was a bit plain for the drag loving Emperor of Hell if it wasn’t for the giant boaters hat dotted with burning scones. Liam nodded in approval as the green flames around his head danced in the reflection of his sunglasses.

 

“Brian told me Vicky moved back with you,” Damien smirks, folding his arms behind his head.

 

“Angry?” Liam asked.

 

“Nah, I don’t get involved in my subordinates’ personal bullshit,” Damien dismissed him.

 

“One of your only good self-made policies,” Vera took out a cigar.

 

“Too busy trying to figure out your own _ three-sided _ mess, huh?” Liam teased knowingly.

 

Vera jerked in surprise, her red pupils growing small as Damien straightened his back. Vera missed as she tried to light the end of her cigar on Damien’s hat, accidentally smacking Damien in the face.

 

“Oz, what are you doing out of Hell?” Vicky trilled.

 

Oz pulled out of the hug, smiling. They had gone with a more masculine frame too, with broad shoulders sloping into a lithe torso. Maybe Damien had coordinated the whole group? Liam wouldn’t be surprised, it looked like the demon has worked on Oz’s hair.

 

“Some Wolfpack members dropped by this week saying they were going to raid a human grocery store. Apparently, it said something really derogatory about the team and pulled it’s funding from the league, ‘as long as mutt were allowed to play sports’,” Oz looked off into the distance, “We came here to see the carnage.”

 

Vicky huffed, “That’s awful! Anti monster sentiments are really on the rise nowadays, aren’t they?”

 

Liam frowned as he remembered what Amira had revealed earlier about her own former living situation. He really did owe her an apology once he could get his thoughts together.

 

“We were just heading back underground,” Vera cleared her throat, putting a hand to the small of Oz’s back, “They’re still tearing it up back there.”

 

Oz looked up at her in confusion as Vicky whirled around to look at Liam. 

 

“Do you know what that means Liam? Free food! Let’s raid it,” Vicky declared, running back where the Triumvirate had just come from. 

 

“You,” Damien cleared his throat, obviously still a little surprised, “You better chase after her before she gets away from you.”

 

Liam’s eyes lingered on Oz, “Yeah, you really should.”

 

“What?” Oz squinted, befuddled.

 

Liam soared past them as his girlfriend bounded for the supermarket. He could already make out smoke in the distance and immediately started to backtrack through his mind. He had been in riots before. Supporting societal revolutions was always in vogue, but had he ever raided a grocery store?

 

“No,” He realized out loud, excitement starting to pump through his veins.

 

“Catch up!” Vicky whined playfully as the grocery store came into view. 

 

The neon store sign had fallen off of its perch above the entrance, victim to a pile of rocks that seemed to have gathered below it. Sparks flew from the heavily dented automatic doors, and half of the entire store flickered from busted lights. As far as Liam could tell, all the employees had booked it. Vicky shot in before Liam could asses if anyone else had gotten the same idea as them.

 

“Donuts!” Vicky cried gleefully.

 

Liam panted, surprisingly out of breath. The last he checked he had super speed, but Vicky was still a good three yards ahead of him when he ran into the store and skidded into one of the check-out lanes.

 

“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!” A group of harpies cheered on an ouroborus stuffing his face with cereal.

 

“Hey man, pass me a frozen sausage!” A unicorn neighed somewhere out of sight.

  
  


“I’m going to dive into the dry ice freezer!” A fauness standing in front of a buttered lane declared.

 

Liam ducked as a phoenix soared overhead, leaving a trail of fire and burnt marshmallows in its wake. Everywhere he looked there were monsters. A small group was trying to flip over a table while a strange golem ate several cartons of raw eggs. Some demons we kicking the Hell out of an inflatable version of the store’s mascot while a hovering shark swam around in the frozen aisle. Among the chaos, Liam had completely lost Vicky, something that had become a casual thing whenever it came to their outings together. 

 

Liam weaved in between the stragglers smoking next to the cheap romance section, trying to remember if there was a time where they weren’t like this. There were so many stale dinner dates with Brian he couldn’t be sure. 

 

_ Was that because of Brian or Vicky?  _ Liam struggled to answer his own question.

 

“Cowabunga!” Vicky cheered, pouncing on him from behind.

 

Liam grunted as her full weight shifted on him, too surprised to activate his strength. Managing to stop a few seconds before he hit the floor, Liam slowly turned so he was hovering “on his back”. Before he could get annoyed, Vicky rearranged herself so she was straddling his hips.

 

“Want a bite?” The vein on her neck screamed out at him as she got in his face.

 

“Uh,” He stuttered, stomach growling.

 

A fistful of frosting and sugar spilled past his lips as Vicky shoved a cupcake past his lips. Liam coughed as Vicky ate another one whole, smiling.

 

“No Vicky, I can’t eat food. I’m dead remember? We don’t all have stomach panels we can tear open whenever our frigid digestive systems run out of room,” He wiped his face.

 

“Oh okay,” She licked her lips, “Go ahead and bite me then.”

 

Liam’s eyes widened, “Vicky, we’re in public. Don’t you think that’s sort of intimate?”

 

She shrugged, “Who cares? No one is paying attention.”

 

Liam licked his dry lips, glancing around. A loud voice, the same one that he was used to leaning on when he wanted to be dismissive, immediately shot her idea down in Liam’s head.

 

Vicky’s eyes lingered on him. She already knew what he wanted. He could see it in her eyes. 

 

_ Didn’t you say you’d give this whole thing a shot?  _ Liam thought as his mind began to cook up a pretentious excuse, one that would get Vicky to deflate.

 

Liam glanced around and took note that no one was watching. There was no one to impress but himself really. God forbid he stop the unpredictable streak they already had going tonight.

 

Vicky shuddered as he dragged his tongue over his fangs, trailed down her neck with kisses and sunk his teeth down right where her chest met her breasts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feeeedbacccck.


	10. One Down, Three To Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and Scott go to therapy, but they don't exactly talk about what Amira is expecting.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you . . .”

 

Amira laughed as Scott flopped onto the bed, his arm wrapped around her waist. He licked her neck in a long, sloppy kiss, a goofy grin on his face. Amira stiffly settled her hands on his elbow, not sure if she wanted to pull it closer or push it away.

 

Everything had been going suspiciously perfect, despite Amira’s rising anxiety. When Scott announced her birthday to the rest of the football stadium, Amira was waiting for something embarrassing to happen. Maybe Scott would say he loved her, and the audience would be waiting with baited breath for her to say it back. Maybe her pants would fall down. Perhaps the megaphone he whipped out would die, or Scott would get in trouble for interrupting the victory celebration.

 

Nothing.

 

“Miry?” Scott hiccuped, bourbon on his breath. 

 

The champion didn’t have any problem celebrating his newest victory with a little alcohol, a habit Amira was worried he got from her.

 

“How drunk are you?” Amira stroked his cheek.

 

“Not at all,” Scott’s voice was clearer than Amira thought it would be, “I’m just happy that you’re here.”

 

He flopped back on the covers, a surprisingly mischevious grin on his face.

 

“In my bed, in my house,” He added.

 

Amira pulled her knees to her chest, not quite sure what to say. Here was the point any other person would say something mushy back, but Amira couldn’t find the words. It seemed like anything she said may shatter what she managed to keep together for the past few months.

 

She watched Scott reach over to his bedside table. There was a round light switch next to the lamp that he turned to the left, dimming the lights. He flicked the lamp on for a little extra light and pulled a bottle of wine out of the drawer.

 

“Drink?” He offered.

 

Amira pressed her cheek into her boa, surprised, “You have glasses?”

 

Scott’s thumb brushed against her lips, “I thought I’d pour it for you.”

 

Amira stroked at the smooth velvet of her dress, an expensive take on her usual tube dress. Scott had bought it for her as a present. She kicked her heels off as Scott tipped his head back, wine filling his mouth. As she let her bare thighs rub against the sheets, Scott pressed their lips together and the taste of grapes glided against her tongue.

 

“Mmm,” Amira groaned as warmth filled her throat. 

 

She settled her hands on Scott’s shoulders, not sure if the drink had high alcohol content or if being so close to Scott was making her feel so cozy. Amira expected Scott to pull back once his mouth was empty, but he kept their lips fused together as his tongue explored her mouth. Amira tried to pull away to breathe, but Scott kept diving in for quick, deep pecks. Amira struggled for breath as she finally yanked her head back, panting softly.

 

“I think you’re more than a little tipsy,” Amira smiled, putting her hand over her heartbeat.

 

“I only had one glass,” Scott insisted, tail wagging, “You just look great.”

 

Scott’s nose glided against the boa around her neck, a white fox he killed himself. Pulling at it with his teeth, he allowed it to fall into her lap, lapping at the space where her neck met her collarbone. Amira gasped as he hefted his weight onto her, causing the duvet to fluff up as they fell onto the covers together.

 

Amira felt her legs twitch as he wrapped his huge arms around her waist, lifting her up just slightly. She massaged his shoulders as he nuzzled her breasts, inching his jersey off of his torso.

 

“God Scott,” She drunk him in, staring at his huge pecs and lingering on his shoulder muscles. 

 

Scott’s eyes shone with pride, “You like?”

 

“I always like Scott. I just don’t know how I keep forgetting how built you are,” Amira sighed, fingers tracing his every bulge.

 

“I never forget how soft you are,” Scott said lowly, moving his hand to palm her breast.

 

Amira whined. Scott’s smile dissolved as his tail slowed, and something she couldn’t quite name filled his eyes.

 

“Miry makes the best noises,” Scott flared his nostrils, yanking the fabric of her dress down.

 

Amira gasped as her breasts were exposed to the cold of the room, which was quickly going away the more Scott shared his body heat with her. His mouth immediately latched onto her nipple, biting down softly and smoothing over the hickies with the rough of his tongue.

 

Amira whimpered, her feet pushing at nothing. She couldn’t move her legs enough to rub her thighs together. Scott had his knee wedged firmly in between hers. Adjusting herself, she struggled to grind herself against him, much to his satisfaction.

 

“Helping?” He rumbled, his voice muffled.

 

“O-Only a little,” Amira admitted.

 

Scott smirked, looking proud, “I like it when you smell really wet. It’s the best smell.”

 

“Better than my butt?” Amira teased.

 

“Yes,” Scott said with surprising seriousness.

 

Amira smiled as she dissolved in his arms. He barked in protest as she reformed with her back pressed against him, fiddling at her clit with her fingers.

 

“Hey!” Scott sounded upset he had been cheated out of teasing her.

 

“You can’t expect me to play fair when you still have your pants on,” Amira moaned.

 

She could feel his erection press against her back as she ground her ass against him. Scott growled in frustration, sitting up to pull his shorts off. Amira sat back too, leaving clear streaks of arousal as she rubbed her self over Scott’s bed. 

 

“Keep going,” Scott said, surprisingly stern as he wrapped a fist around his wolfhood.

 

Despite what he just said, Amira stopped to stare at him. His cock was surprisingly shiny, making him look even girthier than usual. Amira felt herself clench as it twitched in his hand. As Scott rasped, Amira glanced down at the floor where he had tossed his pants and saw a small puddle of cum leaking over the crotch.

 

“Did you already cum?” Amira asked breathily.

 

Scott nodded silently. He looked at her expectantly, and Amira remembered his orders from just a few seconds ago. His fingers squeezed over the knot near his base, which was bigger than Amira had ever seen it. It was usually about to size of a thick ring. Now it was the size of her fist, which was still pretty big despite the small size of her hands. 

 

“Is this a close to the full moon thing?” Amira swallowed as his tip turned red.

 

“More like my mate finally started to stick around sort of thing,” Scott sniffed, “Our smells are starting to mix together. People know that you’re mine. I want to treat you like your mine.”

 

There was enough possessiveness in his voice to make Amira equal parts lightheaded and nervous. The word mate stood out to her like a sore thumb, and “treat you like your mine” definitely didn’t make her heart race like Scott probably planned it.

 

_ If I’m yours, then that means all my fuck ups are yours too. _ Amira thought.

 

“ _ Amira _ ,” Scott insisted, stroking himself.

 

Amira swallowed as the vein on his cock throbbed, cum dripping off his head. Her clit twitched in response. Amira reached down to roll it between her fingers. 

 

“If the smell of you cumming sinks into the sheets, it won’t matter how many times I wash them,” Scott breathed, “You’ll always be here.”

 

Amira bit her lip as her fingers moved faster and Scott began to snarl. She tried to focus on how much the thought of Scott fucking into the sheets when she wasn’t there because they smelled like her turned her on. Her pelvis moved faster and faster, the soft thread of his duvet gliding against her arousal.

 

As her thighs began to twitch more and more, her shifting grew less steady. She kept clenching as Scott leaned forward and planted a hand on her knee.

 

“Finish, Miry,” He begged, his stroking growing shakier, “You look so pretty, keep going.”

 

“ _ Ah _ ,” Amira whined, and a glob of precum spurted out of his cock, 

 

She hugged herself as her stomach grew tighter, eyelashes fluttering. Scott’s big hand worked rough circles into her skin. Amira whimpered, and Scott’s hand tightened over her knee. 

 

Her brain drifted up towards the top of her skull as Amira squirmed, kept in place only by Scott’s grip. His ears, which had extended into something more wolfish, tilted forward in anticipation as she let out a long whine. Her legs twitched under him as she breathlessly curled forward and euphoria shot through her body like a cart on a rollercoaster. The fabric of her dress clung to her soaked arousal as her torso shook, and her nipples hardened. 

 

Scott surged forward to hug her as she sagged, something hot splashing against her stomach. Amira vaguely registered Scott’s growling as he orgasmed on her, his cum painting her front white. Amira clawed at his back as he rutted against her, the head of his penis dragging against her stomach. He jerked her up and down as he spread his mess over her, biting her ear with his teeth like he was struggling to stay focused. His tail beat wildly against the bed as he ruined her dress. Hands gliding down her grab her ass, his hot splurts pooled at above the V of her legs as he lifted her, and the two glided against each other in a rough embrace.

 

Amira struggled to get her bearings, pressing her head against his chest. She heard Scott’s heartbeat race as he pressed both of them into the bed, his cock still hard. He continued to rock his hips as his splurts died down into little droplets until Amira realized he was just working the shape of his knot into her belly button.

 

“You smell so good Miry,” Scott assured her, drool slipping past his fangs.

 

Amira squinted at him, not sure if he was really as transformed as she was registering. Fur was rapidly covering his body as his tail elongated, and his teeth were getting to be too much to be contained in his mouth, which meant his snout was about to come in. His hair turned into a mane as his fingernails shifted into claws that pinned her down.

 

Amira tried to say something to see if he was okay, but she was too drained. There was also the fact that she felt achingly empty and could barely focus on anything else besides how he thrust against her.

 

“Covered in me, covered in me,” Scott repeated mindlessly, bending down.

 

His teeth grazed against her neck and Amira shivered, trying to remember how close the full moon was. Was this really all because she had managed to stay with Scott for so long, long enough that he started to feel secure and wanted everyone else to be able to tell? Amira had been so anxious during their six-month stretch that she barely registered it. She took the day-to-day to an extreme. Every moment felt like a small window where she could possibly mess it up. 

 

Amira gritted her teeth as her mental calendar appeared. What was she doing? Could she just enjoy this?

 

Scott shoved two fingers past her lips and Amira immediately sobbed, his thick fingers forcing her tightness open. God knew her body was enjoying it.

 

His digits glistened as he pulled them out and hungrily licked at them. Her liquid arousal was gone in second and he quickly shoved three fingers back inside. Amira screamed, her pussy stretching to somehow accommodate him. The ring of her entrance was stretched tightly around him, and her cunt immediately shrunk back up the second he pulled back. It left her delightfully sore, and more than breathless as Scott continued to sample her. He cleaned his fingers even faster this time and jabbed into her a third time, a fourth time, a fifth.

 

“ _ Scott _ ,” Amira cried each time, sounding more and more distressed.

 

Scott absentmindedly rubbed his cock against her ass as he lifted her up and drew her close. He dragged his newly moistened fingers against the whiteness covering her belly, like some kind of lewd shot. Sucking the combination off his hand, Scott watched her breasts roll up towards her chin.

 

“You’re so easy to handle Miry,” Scott panted, his snout fully growing out, “Like a little pup.”

 

“I hope you don’t fuck me like one,” Amira laughed, swallowing hard as Scott’s expression changed.

 

“I won’t,” He promised, voice dropping a good five octaves.

 

Amira felt him roughly flip her over on her belly. She squirmed as she glided against the bed as Scott straddled her back, panting against her neck.

 

“My fingers good?” He forced out, sticking one back inside.

 

Amira clamped down on him squirming. She could only nod, too focused on his digit. Her cunt throbbed around him until it felt like a second heartbeat, and she shook her ass in an attempt to move around him.

 

Scott growled, muttering something about presenting to him as he began to play with her. His thick finger ran against her wet ridges, which hadn’t gotten any more pliable with his foreplay. Amira squeaked and moaned as he curled inside her, forcing another finger into her body. Amira trembled as she cried out, knowing they were getting closer to three despite how tight she still felt. 

 

“Scott please!” She begged for more as he wormed it inside not a second later, turning his wrist in a circle in order to force it inside.

 

Her hips trembled as she buried her face in the mattress. Scott pumped through her, forcing her body to cant back as it suctioned onto him. His tail sounded like a helicopter, and she heard the dirty squelching as he began to stroke himself again.

 

“You feel like an untried dam Miry,” Scott licked a strip of wetness onto her neck, “Why do you feel like I haven’t rutted you before Miry?”

 

“You’ve never been this long before,” Amira mewed.

 

“You've never stayed this long,” Scott’s voice went surprisingly soft as he somehow managed to force a fourth finger.

 

Before Amira could scream out her new orgasm, Scott pushed his fingers outward and Amira’s body shook twice. Sweat sent her makeup rolling onto the bed as her face when red, and the flames on her head exploded into a roaring fire. Her cunt tried to flex, but Scott’s fingers were too much. She clenched in a series of frantic twitches as she soaked Scott’s hand. Losing control of her body, she instinctively moved back towards him, trying to get more of his skin inside of her. She could feel Scott’s gaze glue itself to her backside as she ground against his fist, her entrance burning.

 

“I’m going to put my fist in you Amira,” Scott’s stroking slowed, but each slick sounding movement was so hard Amira vaguely wondered if he was bruising himself, “It’s the only way my knot will fit.”

 

“Okay,” Amira warbled, ready to agree to anything at this point.

 

“My knot Miry,” Her repeated, his chest rising and falling as he pressed it against her.

 

His cock sandwiched itself between his front and her back as he mounted her, his fingers diving deeper into her body. Amira shook, unable to form words.

 

The claw of his thumb picked at her pussy, trying to find a where it could slip inside. Amira trembled. The only thing that kept her from collapsing was the fact that she was already being pressed into the bed and Scott’s harsh grip on her hip. He continued to rub against her back as he got the tip of his thumb past. The ring of her entrance seemed to groan in protest, but it was too slick to keep more of him from gliding in, until Amira’s mouth was drawn into a helpless O. Scott moved it inside her almost casually, and her body stiffened as if it couldn’t quite realize that he managed to get his hand inside. 

 

Amira trembled as stars filled her eyes. She constantly had to refocus her gaze as Scott moved the entirely of his wrist to the side. Amira made choppy little breaths as Scott pushed his tip into her ass dimples. He had gone eerily silent, and Amira struggled against the instinct to peddle her legs back and forth when she realized he wasn’t moving. There was also the fact that she couldn’t feel them anymore, but that didn’t quite make it to her brain.

 

“My knot Miry,” Scott whispered, “My fat knot in you.”

 

He didn’t even have to string a coherent sentence for Amira to know exactly what he meant. She didn’t think she ever saw him turned on like this before. Amira had felt his knot before too, though it was much smaller, and she usually had the comfort of having it form inside her. It made the stretching easier.

 

Scott gripped his wolfhood and shifted down. Amira was too busy struggling on his fist to register it moving closer. She opened her mouth in a wordless scream as he spread his fingers outward, gently pushing his tip in the middle.

 

His free arm wrapped around her middle like an iron bar. There wouldn’t be any squirming away -- not that Amira wanted to. His nose rubbed back and forth over her neck as he inhaled the smell of the room, and felt her vocal cords shake in her throat.

 

His wet breath condensated on her skin as he pushed his dick into the little cup he made with his fist. Amira could feel slivers of it through gaps in his hand. Its heat drew her wild without the full feeling of the mass of flesh it came from.

 

Then Scott’s fingers were gone, and her abused cunt closed around him. Amira snorted a huge breath through her nose as her clit was forced against the tops of her folds, and Scott’s ministrations went from slow to merciless.

 

“Miry, miry, miry,” He snapped, rutting her into the bed. Amira remembered how to use her hands and clawed the sheets as she came again, her arousal welling up under his knot.

 

It couldn’t seem to leak past it. Scott was too big. His knot plugged her up so well that their fluids formed a small, squelching ring between where he plugged himself into her. It sounded disgusting. Amira  **loved** it.

 

“ Sc, sc,” Amira stuttered, her chest feeling tight as Scott dragged her back and forth.

 

She’d never been forced open this wide before. Amira wasn’t quite sure if her mind was processing it properly. The bed creaked loudly as Scott tested its fortitude, her voice devolving into a bunch of snarls that made it pretty clear that the man who playfully mouth fed her wine was gone.

 

His other arm moved to join the first until Amira felt like she was being hugged by a rock. Amira glided against Scott’s sweaty front like she was nothing. His knot dragged against her puffy walls, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her body. Amira tilted her head to the side as she tried to brace it against something, anything. Where her nerves still in her body? She kind of felt like they had floated out of her skin and injected themselves with cocaine.

 

“Gonna be shaped just like me,” Scott assured her, “Gonna feel my knot when it’s not even there.”

 

Amira whined and Scott went harder, latching his teeth over her exposed skin. She started to realize how much she sounded like a wanton dog and somehow got it into her head to whimper even louder. 

 

A puddle of saliva ran over her neck as Scott lowered his arms. Pressing against her pelvis, he lifted up her ass and began to fuck into her downward, like how Amira had seen big wild dog bred smaller ones at the park.

 

Scott licked up his spit, making a sound that vaguely remembered the noises needed to say the word sorry. Amira blinked hard as pain and pleasure shot through her, his knot pulsating.

 

“Best noise, right noise,” He complimented her, his balls slapping against her.

 

Amira’s voice tapered off as she came again, weakly tightening around Scott as he continued to push through her completion. More moisture welled up inside her. She had never felt this full before.

 

“Perfect back for mounting,” Scott sounded delirious as the bedpost screeched against the floorboards.

 

He strained his neck as he opened his mouth around her throat. Amira had lost the strength to hold her head up, and he tilted it towards the ceiling for her, his teeth making a gentle cradle. Amira watched the ceiling sharply jerk back and forth as Scott imprinted his front to her behind in a big bruise, his cock beginning to move inside her.

 

Shakily, Amira brought a hand to her tummy, feeling him tap against her womb. Her insides felt like a mushy, aroused mess. The feeling of his knot flexing traveled down his cock in a vulgar vibrato, and Amira’s eyes rolled back into her head as it began to relentlessly run over her clit.

 

What was it like to have limbs? Amira couldn’t remember. They didn’t seem to respond to her anymore. Scott’s arms around her grew tighter as his teeth began to press into her skin.

 

“Birthday,” Scott struggled to form a sentence, “Stayed with me until your birthday. Let me, let me please, on your neck Miry. Mark your neck.”

 

“Yes,” Amira breathed, not so much forming the word with her tongue, but letting the shape of it drift out of her mouth.

 

Scott’s throat shook as he snarled and snapped his mouth closed like a trap. He shoved himself upward as hot sperm exploded out his cock. Amira gurgled as he pumped her full, his knot bloating her insides as she was forced to take it all. Blood ran down her shoulders, but Amira couldn’t register the pain as she experienced the most intense orgasm of her life. All the feeling in her limbs came racing back to her just so she could know what having them all shake feel like. Warmth soaked her insides as Scott continued to pump despite the fact that she probably looked like she was having an episode. The only thing that kept her close to Scott as she begged for nothing and everything was Scott himself. His grip became punishing as his knot started to deflate. The werewolf was obviously trying to ride out his orgasm for as long as possible, and Amira whimpered as he pulled a hand away from her waist to scoop at some of the cum starting to escape her body to push it back towards her bright pink entrance.

 

“Good girl,” He scratched her chin sloppily, still thrusting into her body. 

 

There wasn’t anywhere else for his cum to go but down, but Scott continued to pump like he had somehow missed a spot inside of her. Whiteness covered her thighs in thick streaks as he finally started to slow. Dropping her on the sheets, he turned her around on his cock, her pussy still trying to milk him.

 

Amira stared into his eyes, breathless. He looked at her like she was the literal moon as he howled and lapped at the bite he left. Shoulders bunching up, he finally pulled out, his limp wolfhood sagging against his leg. There was no sign he ever had a knot, besides the gigantic mess they made.

 

Amira vaguely registered she was leaking, but the minute Scoot had exited her, she lost her sense of feeling again. Scott cupped her neck.

 

“So pretty,” Scott said adoringly. What few parts of his body that weren’t covered in sweat were covering in cum. His fur matted at his joints, and Amira had left a red print of her behind from rubbing up against him from the past few hours. Amira didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so filthy before.

 

“You’re so messy Miry,” Scott lowered his lids like it was synonymous with pretty, “I’m all over you.”

 

He dragged his hand through the white mess he left over her body as her breathing slowed. Gradually, he began to shift back. His sharp, wolfish pupils became big and round again.

 

“Bath?” Amira somehow stuttered out.

 

“No,” Scott braced his hands unevenly on her back.

 

Flopping onto the pillows, Scott brought her to rest on top of him. He inhaled, long and hard, as she limply laid against him. He arranged her body to curl up like he knew she liked until she was cradled in his arms.

 

Scott dragged his nose all over her body. He couldn’t seem to get enough of the mess they’d made on her. Amira’s ability to keep her eyes open began to fade, and Scott rumbled as he sensed she was about to fall asleep.

 

“Happy birthday Miry,” He petted her.

 

“Mmm,” She pursed her lips, but by the time Scoot met them in a kiss, she was already gone.

 

* * *

 

 

Amira woke up with a start, sitting up. Her heart raced inside her chest as her lips glided against each other. Holy shit, what a memory.

 

The room felt eerily still. Amira slowly cupped her cast as she squinted in the dark, trying to figure out was wrong. Slowly, she heard a harsh, drawn-out panting. She turned her gaze downwards and saw Scott was wide awake, his round pupils beginning to narrow into slits.

 

She cleared her throat, “Did I make noi --”

 

“ _ Yes _ .”

 

Amira felt her belly thrum as he sat up, his erection showing through the covers. She remembered what he said earlier and swallowed as he stared at her.

 

“You make the best noises Miry,” He licked his lips before sliding out of bed. 

 

Amira watched as he disappeared into the bathroom, sliding her head under her pillow. She sighed in frustration as her hardened nipples strained against her shirt. Did she always feel this hot when she woke up?

 

The hours passed by in a slow grind. Scott didn’t come back to bed, though Amira heard him leave the bathroom a while later. Somehow, she managed to fall back asleep, but by the time she woke up her bite mark was throbbing.

 

She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and blinked hard.

 

_ Three o’ clock?  _ Amira had slept far too fitfully for it to have been that long, right?

 

She heard the sound of a briefcase hit the floor, and Scott’s heavy footsteps approach the bed. He gently nudged her side.

 

“Amira, we gotta go,” He urged her, dressed in a pressed shirt and slacks.

 

“Where?” Amira mumbled, still disoriented.

 

“Therapy remember?” He pulled back the covers.

 

Suddenly Amira was wide awake. After the incident yesterday, Amira had gone through a million excuses for why taking back her word wasn’t that bad, and why she didn’t need a doctor. But they all died in her mouth as Scott hovered over her.

 

“Do you have a dress or something?” She mumbled, “I don’t want to force this cast through another shirt.”

 

“I have one of my old high school tank tops and a belt,” He offered.

 

Amira nodded, sitting up. Scott turned back to his closet as Amira stumbled out of bed. She tensed as he lifted her clothes off of her body, but if he was still affected by this morning, he didn’t show it. His shirt was too big for her as expected, and he used the belt to cinch it closer to her waist.

 

“It’s just a five-minute walk,” Scott promised her.

 

“Yay,” Amira said weakly, feeling queasy.

 

She felt like she was on a death march. Scott’s property was so big, there were only a few more houses to past until Amira saw the first sign. The same graphics reappeared on a  glass window only a few yards away. It looked like whoever this was had converted a couple of rooms in their complex into a treatment center.

 

Sensing her apprehension, Scott pushed his hand to the small of her back, urging her forward. Amira desperately wished she had hung back so she could hide behind Scott.

 

She hefted one foot in front of the other until the letters of the office grew clearer and clearer. Scott jumped up behind her to thwack the bell hanging in front of the entrance. Slowly, she pressed the buzzer. Was she really here already? This was going too fast.

 

“Hello?” A scraggly voice sounded out from the other end.

 

_ Wonderful _ . Amira closed her eyes.

 

“Hi, Dr. Puck! I brought Amira like I said I would!” Scott chirped.

 

The voice on the other end gasped, “The infamous Amira Rashid? Come in, come in.”

 

Amira rolled her eyes. The doors swung open automatically, like some twisted 21st-century maw. She began to walk towards the receptionist, who waved her on. Wow, she really wasn’t getting any chances to stall.

 

“Miry?” Scott nuzzled her apprehensively, “We can go if you want.”

 

Despite trying to keep his voice level, Amira could hear the fear in his voice. She remembered how much he insisted they needed this, how he thought they wouldn’t last without it.

 

“No,” She forced a smile, ‘I said three sessions.”

 

Scott gave her the biggest smile she had seen in days. Grabbing her hand, Scott ran forward, bounding down the patient hall and running into a room marked 104.

 

“God Scott,” Amira stumbled as he came to a stop, the room spinning.

 

“Scott! How are you doing?” The same raspy voice over the intercom greeted.

 

Scott yipped and scooped something up in a huge hug. Amira fell back into a bean bag chair as the room began to straighten out. The hardwood floor was beautifully lacquered, and wall to wall bookshelves bordered the room, though they weren’t all filled with books. Toys and brightly covered knick nacks would’ve made it feel like Amira was in more of a toy store than a psychiatrist's office if it wasn’t for the degree hanging from the wall behind his armchair.

 

Amira leaned to the side as Scott pulled back, trying to get a glimpse of the man that would be interrogating her for the next few hours.

 

Short and round, the rosy-cheeked fairy looked less like the human tormenter of her nightmares and more like a jolly grandpa. Grey threaded through his brown hair, and Amira could’ve sworn there were sparkles in his beard.

 

“Um,” She stuttered.

 

“Amira, this is Dr. Puck,” Scott flopped onto the floor.

 

“It’s nice to met you?” Amira hesitantly held out her hand.

 

He gently took it in both hands, wings flapping gently as he hovered through the air. His wings were as huge as they were luminescent, an elaborate tangle of blue and red colors. Watching them move felt strangely relaxing.

 

“Ms. Rashid I’ve heard so much about you,” He beamed, “Scott gushes about you whenever he can. I know we can fix these issues.”

 

“That sounds nice,” Amira nodded stiffly.

 

“You seem tense,” He commented.

 

“Only a lot,” Amira joked sourly.

 

“Scott tells me you were kicked out of your last living situation. Do intimate spaces like that make you uncomfortable?” He prodded.

 

Amira flinched, “What? I thought you were going to ask questions about our relationship.”

 

“When it comes to relationships, we must remember that their basis comes from the two people involved in them. Knowing things about each of you helps your ability to get along with each other,” Puck explained.

 

“Oh, okay, I guess,” Amira admitted.

 

“Why?” Puck urged her.

 

“It’s not mine I guess. My stuff is shitty,” Amira mumbled.

 

“Amira no,” Scott leaned over and nuzzled her neck. Amira blushed.

 

“If you think your stuff is ‘shitty’ as you say, then doesn’t that make everything that’s good not yours by default?” He pointed out.

 

“I don’t understand what you’re hinting at,” Amira ran her hands through Scott’s hair.

 

Dr. Puck folded his hands, “You and Scott have certainly had a lot of breaks in your relationship. I can’t help but wonder if that’s because you feel like you don’t deserve Scott, and distance yourself from him whenever it feels like your relationship is becoming substantial. You obviously think of him very highly, but if your relationship is really becoming  _ yours _ , then it has a chance of becoming, as you say, ‘shitty’. And that would mean you would risk Scott becoming shitty, wouldn’t it?”

 

Amira stared.

 

“Let’s revisit the possessive aspect of your ‘stuff’. Like we already established, you were ejected from your house. Can you tell me more about that, on your own terms?” Dr. Puck questioned.

 

Amira tried not to be annoyed with Scott. He obviously hadn’t told Dr. Puck about her personal life to be rude. After all, a lot of what happened overlapped with how she had treated him. 

 

“That was our longest stretch. Six months I think,” Amira started.

 

“It was exactly six months,” Scott stated, “Up until your birthday.”

 

Amira looked into his eyes which had gone incredibly still. His glance shifted over to her bite, and it was pretty clear that he definitely hadn’t forgotten what happened this morning at all.

 

Dr. Puck cleared his throat.

 

“Six months,” Amira sputtered again, trying to appear normal, “I signed a lease and got a job. Employment wasn’t exactly consistent, so I had roommates to split the rent with. We weren’t exactly close, but I never thought they would literally throw me out.”

 

Dr. Puck pointed at her cast, “Have you thought about pressing charges?”

 

Amira guffawed, “With what money?”

 

Scott looked away, hackles raising. Dr. Puck wrote something down on a pad that appeared out of thin air. 

 

“Let’s focus now on those actual months,” He redirected her, “It sounded like you were really buckling down. Things like a place to live and setting up regular dates with Scott are pretty routine.”

 

“Scott was doing his football thing with the rest of the Wolfpack,” Amira smiled, “I showed up to all his games. That was the one good thing about temp jobs. There were barely any scheduling conflictions. I tried to be as presentable as I could to all his friends. His teammates started expecting me.”

 

“Are you saying that you could’ve done work besides temp jobs but you chose them anyway? What drew you to temporary employment?” Dr. Puck scribbled.

 

“Well, honestly, I didn’t have that many other options. I haven’t always been the best student. I bunked with three other monsters in high school. I mostly focused on trying to hang out with them as much as possible,” Amira revealed, “I didn’t really let my terrible school habits bother me. Which basically explains my life now.”

 

“What about family?” Dr. Puck dug.

 

“I didn’t really have any. My friends were my family. All the cool stuff I learned about myself came from hanging out with them. They all knew what they were going to do,” Amira stopped, “Well not Vicky, but that’s fine. She’s doing great.”

 

“You seem to admire their drive while still liking Vicky,” Dr. Puck hummed, “How come it’s okay for her not to have focus while having a great life, but for you it’s bad. It sounds like you think you deserve what happened to you.”

 

“No,” Amira crossed her arms, “No one wants to literally get thrown out of their house.”

 

“I didn’t say you wanted what happened to you,” Dr. Puck held up a hand, “I’m saying in hindsight, you’ve convinced yourself you deserved it.”

 

Amira looked over at Scott, not quite sure what to say. His brow softly furrowed, but he stayed quiet.

 

“I’m sorry Scott, it seems like we’re going to be mostly focused on Amira today. I probably won’t end up talking to you as much as you’re used to,” Dr. Puck apologized.

 

“It’s fine,” Scott said sharply, looking at her a bit too intensely.

 

“What exactly do you think your friends taught you?” Dr. Puck turned a page in his notes.

 

“Good stuff,” Amira fiddled with her hands, “Should I go down a list for each person or what? What do you want?”

 

Her last question came out way harsher than she meant it too, but Dr. Puck didn’t make a rebuttal. He simply nodded, pen posed patiently as he waited for her to tell him the few good things she’d scalped for everyone else.

 

“I guess I’ll start with Oz?” Amira hesitated, “I’m pretty proud of everyone, but I guess from a general viewpoint they are the most accomplished. Towards the end of high school during prom season, they got pretty heavily involved with this gorgon named Vera Oberlin.”

 

Dr. Puck’s eyebrows shot up, “The crime lord?”

 

Amira squinted, “Is it really a crime if literally, everyone else around you is doing the exact same thing? I mean she literally lives in Hell with Oz and Damien now. You can’t really commit crimes if it’s a lawless hellscape.”

 

“That’s a very subjective viewpoint,” Dr. Puck observed, “Continue.”

 

“Oz taught me how to get my shit together when I wasn’t totally wasted. Which admittedly was pretty often, and there wasn’t really a lot to get together. They were always good at organizing and fitting things into charts and graphs. They were also clever, and weirdly flirty if you gave them a fair warning. I’ve never seen someone juggle so many things at once. After I got them the money for all their supplies they had their own little office going,” Amira looked at her feet.

 

“I think you had the ability to do that too if you wanted Amira,” Dr. Puck said.

 

“Why?” Amira frowned.

 

“Well you just said you were the one who got the money for all that stuff. You clearly had the resources to get the same things Oz had, and the rest is just lists. You can teach yourself things Amira. You seem to have been stuck in this really stagnant image of yourself for a very long time,” Dr. Puck said with finality, “Think of all the other things your friends taught you that you ‘just couldn’t do by yourself’.”

 

Flashes of putting Brian back together after he got his limbs blasted off came back to Amira. Sprinkled in between were moments when Oz stressed over being perfect for Vera, and all the little panic attacks that followed. As she darted between the two, a thousand little skills started to pop out at Amira that she never acknowledged before. 

 

It left Amira feeling extremely strange.

 

“It seems like we’ve run out of time,” Dr. Puck closed his notebook and looked at the clock.

 

“How long have we been talking?” 

 

Amira jumped as Scott spoke up. She had completely forgotten he was there. He offered her his hand, and Amira gently slid her fingers into his palm. Goosebumps ran up her arms as he tugged her to her feet, his other hand grasping her hip and pulling her to her feet.

 

“About an hour,” Dr. Puck checked his watch, “Next time we’ll talk about sex.”

 

Amira’s entire face turned red, “What?”

 

“Based on your history, it’s clear some of your communication problems come from how easily you can . . .  distract each other. There is obviously a strong physical attraction here, one that Scott has basically built his biggest coping mechanism off of. Pardon my French, but I think it would be a good idea to get into how you can talk to each other instead of,” He made a gesture with his hands.

 

_ Oh my God.  _ Amira wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Scott seemed equally surprised, awkwardly backing up towards the door.

 

“Especially since the full moon is coming up. I find your developing Bond very interesting,” Dr. Puck went on.

 

“Okay!” Scott tried to come off as light-hearted, but there was a clear, embarrassed strain to his voice as he waved and pulled her out the door.

 

As Scott paid at the window, Amira rocked on the balls of her feet. She tried to find something to say, equal parts mortified at Dr. Puck’s parting words and surprised at all the questions he raised.

 

“That was interesting,” Amira cleared her throat.

 

“Yeah,” Scott sounded distant, “Do you want to get lunch? I already finished up at the university today.”

 

It was such an innocent offer. Scott looked at her softly, his lopsided smile making her heart flutter. After Dr. Puck’s appointment, Scott didn’t seem to feel the need to ask her any questions about how she was feeling, or worry she was going to dart off again.

 

She didn’t miss though, the way he looped his arm around her a little tighter than usual. He rubbed her back in relaxing circles as she rested her head against his chest.

 

“That sounds nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FFFFFFFFEeeeeEEEEEDddDDDddDDbbbbBBBaaaAAAAccKKK.


End file.
